Stop being greedy, PKR told
DAP Pahang is upset that PKR is taking over it seats in Johor and other states.
Athi Shankar, FMT
A DAP leader said that PKR should stop being greedy and not usurp seats belonging to Pakatan Rakyat allies.
DAP’s Pahang vice-chairman J Apalasamy is upset that PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim failed to respect DAP’s influence and its grassroots strength in Johor.
Referring to PKR’s “theft” of Segamat parliamentary constituency, he said Anwar and company had denied DAP a chance to field an Indian candidate for the seat.
PKR is fielding former MCA leader and former health minister Chua Jui Meng in Segamat against Barisan Nasional incumbent S Subramanian, a MIC strongman.
“PKR should put a stop to its greediness if Pakatan is serious in capturing the federal government from BN,” said Apalasamy in a statement to FMT.
In the last 2008 general election, PKR contested nine parliamentary and 10 state seats in Johor. It lost all.
Apalasamy said Chua candidacy in Segamat would virtually be a “walkover” victory for Subramaniam.
He said Chua’s public spat with Johor DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau over Pakatan’s seat formula had spoilt the former MCA man’s winning chances.
Moreover, he said Chua had also lost all credibility as a Pakatan leader after DAP supremo Karpal Singh launched seething criticisms on Chua’s long stay in MCA and BN.
Due to Anwar’s scheming, he lamented that DAP has missed an opportunity to field a talented Indian candidate against a MIC heavyweight in Segamat.
Multi-racial politics
It’s learnt that the DAP wanted to field Malaysian Indian Busieness Association (MIBA) president P Sivakumar and later party national vice chairman M Kulasegaran for Segamat.
“Being a pan-Malaysian party, the DAP has fielded and tested many of its leaders across the country.As a multiracial party, the DAP is duty-bound to field racially balanced candidates,” he said.
He pointed out that PKR had a knack of stealing DAP’s Indian seats to field non-Indian candidates on grounds of multi-racial politics.
Segamat aside, he said other seats were Teluk Kemang federal seat in Negeri Sembilan, Ijok state seat in Selangor and Lunas state seat in Kedah.
In 2000 by-election in Teluk Kemang, he said the DAP was forced to make way for PKR candidate Ruslan Kassim.
“Until now PKR failed to return Teluk Kemang to DAP,” said Apalasamy.
