S'WAK POLLS PKR and DAP have violated their fledgling pact's common agreement by contesting against each other in the Sarawak election, which, according to the document, is sufficient grounds for expulsion.

However, analyst Wong Chin Huat does not believe what has transpired constitutes a lethal blow for the opposition pact.

On the same note, he conceded that locking horns with each other does not provide a good image for Pakatan Harapan.

"It doesn't give Harapan a good image as it shows that in their first election they're not well organised.

“But I don't think it’s a deadly blow. At the end of the day, the parties need each other to survive so I don't think they'll go all out," he told Malaysiakini .

He believes PKR and DAP would be able to sort matters and convince some of the clashing candidates to back out.

The common agreement signed by all three Harapan parties in January explicitly stated that while parties are free to choose their candidates, the distribution of seats would be decided by an election committee.

All decisions must be approved by the presidential council.

"Harapan will only field one candidate to represent the pact in any election,” DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke had said at the signing ceremony in Shah Alam then.

According to him, this would put an end to three-cornered fights.

At the same event, Amanah organising secretary Suhaizan Kaiat said if any party breached the agreement, the others have the right to dismiss it from the coalition.

This was part of their move to stop agreeing to disagree, which had led to Harapan's predecessor Pakatan Rakyat's demise.

PKR and DAP are locking horns in six seats - Mambong, Ngemah, Simanggang, Murum, Mulu and Bukit Kitang.