PSM may force three-cornered fights with PKR

PKR and its close ally Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) may end up in three-cornered fights in Selangor state seats Semenyih and Kota Damansara if they cannot resolve their differences.

The source of acrimony is PKR’s insistence on PSM using the former’s party logo to contest in the coming general election, following what PSM had done in 2008.

If the matter cannot be resolved in 48 hours, it would be no surprise if PSM, that has since received its Registrar of Societies’ (ROS) approval in 2008, goes ahead to field its own candidates in the said seats.

PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan is expected to contest Semenyih, while party's chairperson Mohd Nasir Hashim will defend his Kota Damansara seat.

Sources in PKR told Malaysiakini that the party is scheduled to release its complete candidates list for Selangor seats this Sunday.

A bank officer Hamidi A Hassan is expected to be name for Semenyih and lawyer Mohd Razlan Jalaluddin for Kota Damansara.

However, PSM is still trying to hold a meeting with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to resolve the matter, Arutchelvan told Malaysiakini when contacted.

“We still have time before Sunday to settle the issue so that a three-cornered fight will not arise.

“We, too, want a win-win situation,” said the PSM sec-gen.

“But we also don’t want our members to be disrespected altogether. Civil society supports us because PSM is principled and ought to be with Pakatan Rakyat,” he added.

Sungai Siput also at risk

If the matter drags on till nomination day, Sungai Siput, Perak - presently held by PSM exco member Dr D Jeyakumar - is expected to face the same problem.

Jeyakumar had famously felled then MIC chief S Samy Vellu in the 2008 general election, when he contested under the PKR banner as PSM had not yet been registered at the time.

Last February, Anwar (left) maintained that PSM should use the PKR logo as he had been reluctant on the use of PSM’s clenched fist logo.

Yesterday, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail reiterated that PSM was free to contest under any Pakatan logo, since the party had not yet officially joined the opposition coalition.

Arutchelvan said the two parties needed to reach a compromise.

“We are not asking for any additional seats. We only hope there will not be a three-cornered fight.

“However, if we reach a dead end and our party members demand that we contest, we will have to contest (the seats in question),” he said.
'Still with Pakatan'

The PSM leader stressed that this did not mean they were breaking ranks with the opposition coalition.
“If we win the state seats, we will still stick with Pakatan. We too want Anwar to be the prime minister,” he said, adding that PSM’s manifesto is squarely aimed at a BN defeat.

When asked if the tiff will play into the hands of BN, Arutchelvan (left) said to avoid that, they want the matter to be resolved swiftly.

“We don’t want to be bullied. For us, for example in the case of our chairperson Nasir, it will be his last campaign, so he would like it to be contested under our own party banner,” he said.

As for Jeyakumar, he said the incumbent Sungai Siput MP is likely to be firm on the PSM logo. According to PKR sources, the party was fine with Jeyakumar’s stand, but other leaders in the coalition were not.

In addition to the three seats, PSM is also at loggerheads with DAP on Jelapang, Perak.

The socialist party feels it has a good chance to win the seat held by Hee Yit Foong, who had defected from DAP after 2008 as part of the BN's takeover of the state using turncoat independents.

Arutchelvan said they are still in negotiations with DAP to resolve claims to the seat.