In my ‘Batu Sapi : SAPP or Pakatan Rakyat?’ post, I had suggested that both Pakatan and SAPP should come to the negotiation table, measure their respective proposed candidates for the Batu Sapi by-election by an MP-Aptitude test and an Integrity test and see who comes out tops.
This, so that the best candidate could be picked to take on the BN candidate in a straight fight.
A PKR delegation met up with SAPP on 21st October to see if they could come to some agreement such that a three-corner contest might be averted. Malaysiakini has a report of that meeting HERE.
They failed to acheve any such agreement.
PKR treasurer, William Leong, who was at those negotiations is quoted by Malaysiakini as saying that while “we did not agree on a one-to-one contest to avoid a three-corner fight, it is not over, the fact that we are talking suggests the subject is not over, and we will continue to talk”.
It does not appear as if there was any exercise, at that meeting, to arrive at an objective assessment of both parties chosen candidates to ascertain who was the better.
Anwar, as reported in Malaysiakini last Sunday, suggests that the negotiations failed because SAPP would not commit to the Pakatan agenda, hinting that SAPP wanted to leave the way open for it to align with BN at any future date, if expedient.
Anwar put it this way :
“If you say you can’t commit to be part of Pakatan Rakyat, can you say that you will not be part of BN?”.
Seems Anwar has a short memory.
Did not Zul Noordin commit to Pakatan Rakyat?
Zahrain?
Where is their commitment to Pakatan now?
I wonder now, with ‘below the belt’ remarks like this from Anwar, whether William Leong should realistically expect that SAPP will ‘continue to talk’?
Someone should tell Anwar that these sort of comments after private negotiations do not go down well with all and sundry.
For some, it’s not the done thing.
And so, we will now see a three-way contest in Batu Sapi.
PKR president Kak Wan described SAPP as a spoiler for not giving way to PKR, reports Malaysiakini today.
What’s a spoiler?
In the context of the Batu Sapi 3-corner fight and the aspirations of so many to see BN lose the same, I would suggest that ‘spoiler’ refers to the weaker non-BN candidate who might take away enough votes from the other non-BN candidate, thus giving the seat to the BN candidate.
I spoke to someone with his ears on the ground in Sabah a little while ago.
“With the 3-corner fight, what are the chances of BN and the opposition respectively?” , I asked.
“50-50″, he replied.
“If it was a straight fight between Yong and Linda?”, I asked.
“Yong”, he replied.
“Why?’, I shot back.
“Linda’s nomination has not gone down well with the PBS grassroots. Thien is still pissed off at being dropped at the eleventh hour. The Muslim bumiputra members, on the other hand, wanted Almudin Kaida, the Tempasuk division chief as the candidate. Expect to see internal sabotage.
Yong is not called taiko for nothing. He’s a seasoned politician and very strong with the Chinese. He’ll know how to reach out to them. If he had any doubts about SAPP’s chances, he would not be contesting” , came the reply.
“What if it was a straight fight between Yong and Ansari?” , I asked, laughing.
“Bruder, the statistics speak for themselves. Ansari has never won an election. Yong has never lost one. In fact, except for the 2008 elections, I think in most other elections, Ansari lost his deposit”, he replied.
“Would not Anwar coming down to campaign for him help Ansari’s chances?”, I asked.
“A lot of PKR members in Sabah have read Jeffrey’s declining the nomination for the post of V-P as a protest for the way PKR HQ had treated PKR Sabah, especially the disciplinary action against the 12. They see Ansari’s candidacy as serving the interest of Anwar and Azmin and not the people of Batu Sapi. There’s talk of sabotaging Ansari” , he replied.
So who is the spoiler, then?
Ansari, or Yong?
This, so that the best candidate could be picked to take on the BN candidate in a straight fight.
A PKR delegation met up with SAPP on 21st October to see if they could come to some agreement such that a three-corner contest might be averted. Malaysiakini has a report of that meeting HERE.
They failed to acheve any such agreement.
PKR treasurer, William Leong, who was at those negotiations is quoted by Malaysiakini as saying that while “we did not agree on a one-to-one contest to avoid a three-corner fight, it is not over, the fact that we are talking suggests the subject is not over, and we will continue to talk”.
It does not appear as if there was any exercise, at that meeting, to arrive at an objective assessment of both parties chosen candidates to ascertain who was the better.
Anwar, as reported in Malaysiakini last Sunday, suggests that the negotiations failed because SAPP would not commit to the Pakatan agenda, hinting that SAPP wanted to leave the way open for it to align with BN at any future date, if expedient.
Anwar put it this way :
“If you say you can’t commit to be part of Pakatan Rakyat, can you say that you will not be part of BN?”.
Seems Anwar has a short memory.
Did not Zul Noordin commit to Pakatan Rakyat?
Zahrain?
Where is their commitment to Pakatan now?
I wonder now, with ‘below the belt’ remarks like this from Anwar, whether William Leong should realistically expect that SAPP will ‘continue to talk’?
Someone should tell Anwar that these sort of comments after private negotiations do not go down well with all and sundry.
For some, it’s not the done thing.
And so, we will now see a three-way contest in Batu Sapi.
PKR president Kak Wan described SAPP as a spoiler for not giving way to PKR, reports Malaysiakini today.
What’s a spoiler?
In the context of the Batu Sapi 3-corner fight and the aspirations of so many to see BN lose the same, I would suggest that ‘spoiler’ refers to the weaker non-BN candidate who might take away enough votes from the other non-BN candidate, thus giving the seat to the BN candidate.
I spoke to someone with his ears on the ground in Sabah a little while ago.
“With the 3-corner fight, what are the chances of BN and the opposition respectively?” , I asked.
“50-50″, he replied.
“If it was a straight fight between Yong and Linda?”, I asked.
“Yong”, he replied.
“Why?’, I shot back.
“Linda’s nomination has not gone down well with the PBS grassroots. Thien is still pissed off at being dropped at the eleventh hour. The Muslim bumiputra members, on the other hand, wanted Almudin Kaida, the Tempasuk division chief as the candidate. Expect to see internal sabotage.
Yong is not called taiko for nothing. He’s a seasoned politician and very strong with the Chinese. He’ll know how to reach out to them. If he had any doubts about SAPP’s chances, he would not be contesting” , came the reply.
“What if it was a straight fight between Yong and Ansari?” , I asked, laughing.
“Bruder, the statistics speak for themselves. Ansari has never won an election. Yong has never lost one. In fact, except for the 2008 elections, I think in most other elections, Ansari lost his deposit”, he replied.
“Would not Anwar coming down to campaign for him help Ansari’s chances?”, I asked.
“A lot of PKR members in Sabah have read Jeffrey’s declining the nomination for the post of V-P as a protest for the way PKR HQ had treated PKR Sabah, especially the disciplinary action against the 12. They see Ansari’s candidacy as serving the interest of Anwar and Azmin and not the people of Batu Sapi. There’s talk of sabotaging Ansari” , he replied.
So who is the spoiler, then?
Ansari, or Yong?
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