PKR to name candidates on Monday, may spring some surprises

Far from being depressed by Snap's decision to withdraw from the Pakatan Rakyat, a recharged and raring-to-go PKR will be naming its candidates on Monday and chances are high it will spring a couple of surprises.
"We have identified 45 candidates but have not made the final decision on whether to field them all," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Taking the fight to the lion's den
The party has been keeping its list top secret as it will play the torch-bearer's role in the Sarawak polls. Coalition colleague DAP has named 15 candidates, while PAS is expected to name 5.
Not only is PKR going for the most number of seats, it will also be the Pakatan party that will be taking the fight straight to Taib's den. Indeed, most of the seats PKR is contesting will be head-to-head fights with Taib's PBB.

That has made BN more cagey about PKR than DAP or PAS. As a sign of its caution, Taib has refrained from naming a candidate for the Ba'kelalan seat, which many expect PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian to take on.
BN has named its candidates for all the other 70 seats in the Sarawak legislative assembly. There is speculation that BN may field Minister in the PM's Department Idris Jala at Ba'kelalan to do battle with the popular Baru Bian.
Unfazed by Snap
Meanwhile, the mood at the PKR is high despite having to unveil news that negotiations with Snap had ground to a halt.
The Sarawak-based party led by Edwin Dundang is believed to have switched allegiance to the BN after strong persuasion and incentives from former PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim.
"It is not such a huge loss to us. Snap can field a candidate to split or spoil the votes against us, but their influence is actually very small," said Tian.
"Basically, we are only worried about three constituencies where we may encounter three-party fights with Snap and BN. These are the 3 areas where Snap is fairly well known and can steal the votes from us."
PKR to name woman candidate for Balingian
Another star attraction will be Taib's own Balingian seat.
PKR will be fielding a woman against the autocratic chief minister and are confident their candidate can pull off an upset win.
Tian refused to reveal her "top secret" identity, but said the name will be announced on Monday.
PKR leaders have said the party decided to field a woman candidate to symbolise justice against Taib's extravagant lifestyle and refusal to protect tribal women from being raped by illegal logging firms.
"She is a professional, well educated and soft spoken. She is in her 30s and a Muslim-Melanau. Wer thiink she will be the one who will finally bring Taib to justice," a PKR source told Malaysia Chronicle.