PSM asked to run under Pakatan ticket

Pauline Wong and Tan Yi Liang, The Sun Daily

Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) candidates who want mutual cooperation with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the 13th general election (GE13) may run in seats also sought by PR parties – provided they agree to contest under the symbol of the relevant PR party.

PKR supreme council member R. Sivarasa explained that the PR coalition is not rejecting PSM’s request to contest in those seats.

“We are offering the seats to their candidates but on condition that they contest under a PR ticket,” he said at a press conference today. Also present was PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution.

“We hope they compromise accordingly as we are thinking of winnability,” he added.

He was responding to questions on reported seat tussles between PSM and PKR in Kota Damansara (which PSM won in the March 2008 GE) and Semenyih (which PSM lost).

In the 2008 election, PSM had not had its registration as political party approved by the Home Ministry and therefore contested on the PKR ticket. The registration was given in June 2008.

The PKR leaders yesterday were however mum on whether PSM will be accepted as a component of the PR coalition, saying the presidential council has yet to make a decision.

Meanwhile, at a separate press conference, PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan said PSM feels its candidates are the most credible for their respective constituencies.

“We are not parachute candidates as we have done work in these areas. We will support Pakatan Rakyat in all seats they are fighting for, except for the ones we are contesting,” he said.

He stressed that PSM had strict conditions as to who the party could field as an election candidate, as only those who have worked for the party for five years in a constituency can stand as a candidate.

PSM is fielding four candidates – Dr. Michael Jeyakumar for the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, PSM deputy chairman M. Sarasvathy for the Jelapang state seat, Arutchelvan for the Semenyih state seat, and PSM president Dr. Mohd Nasir Hashim for the Kota Damansara state seat.

On potential three-corner fights, Arutchelvan said PSM has proposed that a non-governmental organisation committee decides who should run for the seat.

“There must be a process when parties cannot agree who should run for a seat,” he said.

He stressed PSM will not sabotage efforts by PR in its bid to seize Putrajaya.

Asked about the Selangor PKR’s intention to field its candidates in Kota Damansara and Semenyih, Arutchelvan pointed out that Mohd Nasir was the incumbent in Kota Damansara having won during the 2008 general elections.

He said PSM was confident of winning as it had been working hard on the ground in its other campaign areas, Semenyih, Sungai Siput and Jelapang.

“In Sungai Siput, Dr. Michael Jeyakumar has been actively resolving local issues such as flooding and land disputes and in Jelapang, Sarasvathy has been resolving land disputes, such as the one in Kampung Jelapang Tambahan,” he added.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said seat allocations in PR have to follow two ‘rules’.

A seat sought by the incumbent party cannot be contested by another party. And if the seat was lost marginally in the previous election, priority is given to the party which lost to re-contest there.

On the tussle for the Sungai Aceh state seat in Penang, which has seen announcements by PAS and PKR for their own candidates there, he said the coalition’s leaders will need to resolve the issue based on these rules.