Why is Malaysiakini three-cornering PSM?
I refer to the article ‘Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) may force three-cornered fights with PKR’ yesterday and take offence to the title by Malaysiakini which I find to be unfair, biased and manipulative. I do understand that some PKR leaders are shareholders of Malaysiakini but that should not be used to belittle other parties.
Let me put the below record straight and let the people decide who is three-cornering who or is it that Malaysiakini is trying to three-corner PSM to create a biased opinion poll.
Semenyih seat – there is no member of PKR who has ever stood in this seat. In 2004, PAS stood in the seat and in 2008, I as the secretary-general of PSM stood in the seat borrowing the PKR logo as the PSM party was not registered yet. How then can this seat, which was never contested by any member of PKR, has suddenly become a PKR seat and PSM is accused of three-cornering the seat? I did not ever become a PKR member.
Why was the Semenyih seat given to PSM to stand in 2008? The answer is that PSM did exchange this seat to the Bukit Lanjan seat where PSM stood in 2004. Now you will understand how the Bukit Lanjan seat became a PKR seat and not a DAP seat.
Kota Damansara seat – this seat has never been contested by a PKR member. In 2004, the seat was contested by PAS and in 2008, PSM’s chairperson Dr Nasir Hashim contested in the seat. Dr Nasir exchanged the Subang Parliament seat he stood in 2004 for the Kota Damansara state seat.
Now, how can the Kota Damansara state seat which was never contested by any member of PKR before become a PKR seat and how come now PSM is accused of three-cornering the seat?
Sungai Siput seat – Dr D Jeyakumar, a PSM central committee member, stood in this seat in the 1999, 2004 and 2008 election borrowing DAP and PKR logo. No member of PKR has ever stood in this seat. How come this seat suddenly become a PKR seat and we are accused of three-cornering the seat?
Jelapang seat – the Jelapang seat is perhaps the only seat where there is a real dispute. This is a new seat. In 2004, there was a three-cornered fight between BN, DAP and PKR. In 2008, there was a three-cornered fight between BN, DAP and PSM which DAP won.
In this election the PSM candidate is claiming that the seat should be given to PSM since the DAP member jumped ship to BN, while DAP claims that they won the seat and they deserve to stand again. PSM has requested for third party NGOs and activist to help resolve this dispute and PSM will adhere to the suggestion by this neutral group on who should stand in Jelapang.
PSM has also stated that PSM is only standing in the same seat like last election, only that the party is registered now. Even at the eleventh hour, PSM is still seeking to ensure that there is a straight fight with BN. It is ridiculous for Malaysiakini to state that PSM will three-corner PKR when PKR members have never stood in any of these three seats.
While PSM believes that the big picture is to defeat BN and we all have a big task towards this, yet this does not give any immunity to any party to bully and manipulate the situation.
S ARUTCHELVAN is PSM secretary-general.
