GE13: PSM being squeezed out by Pakatan

(The Star) – The bigger boys in Pakatan Rakyat are trying to squeeze Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) out of three of the four seats which the party intends to contest.

Apart from the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, where there appears to be a consensus for PSM central committee member Dr Michael Jeyakumar to defend, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) wants to field its own candidates for the Kota Damansara and Semenyih state seats in Selangor, with DAP staking its claim to the Jelapang seat in Perak.

The Kota Damansara state seat, held by PSM chairman Dr Nasir Hashim, is being eyed by a lawyer aligned to PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who reportedly has given the green light for the lawyer to campaign.

“We feel this is quite ridiculous because Dr Nasir held the seat,” said PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan yesterday after declaring his assets.

His assets comprise a Perodua Kelisa worth RM14,000, an RM85,000 low cost house, RM5,000 in fixed deposit and RM1,356 in a savings account as well as a monthly income of RM3,000 and RM1,000 as Kajang municipal councillor, the amount of which goes towards financing his employee.

Denying allegations that Dr Nasir was facing health problems, Arutchelvan said: “He just had knee surgery and the doctor has given him a clean bill of health.”

Arutchelvan is expected to contest in Semenyih while the party’s deputy head M. Sarasvathy is slotted to stand in Jelapang.

PSM candidates had contested under the PKR banner in the March 2008 general election as their party was waiting for its registration to be approved, which came about in June 2008.

Several PKR leaders who are lobbying for the seats object to PSM using its own logo to contest in this general election and claimed that the seats were won thanks to the PKR label.

“We are determined to carry on even if we are forced to stand on our own as we are confident of winning all four seats with our credible candidates,”Arutchelvan said.

He said PSM hoped to strike a compromise with the Pakatan parties when they meet Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the weekend.

Anwar is scheduled to announce the PKR candidates for all the seats in Selangor on Sunday night in Hulu Klang.