PSM fails in its bid to get into Pakatan
(The Star) – Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s application to join opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat has been shot down by the component parties.
According to PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution, PAS, PKR and DAP had met before the general election to discuss PSM’s application.
“We discussed it before elections, the decision was negative,” he told The Star Online when contacted.
When asked for the reasoning behind the decision, he declined to comment.
He added that “he supposed” the small party had been informed of the decision by someone from the Pakatan secretariat.
However, when contacted earlier, PSM’s parliamentary leader Dr Michael D Jeyakumar said no-one from the party had been updated regarding the application status.
“We assume from their silence we weren’t accepted, but we haven’t heard anything official.”
PSM formally applied to join Pakatan Rakyat in September 2012.
During GE13, PSM and Pakatan had many clashes over seat allocations, resulting in multi-corner fights in three state seats.
PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan told the press last month that the party would be reevaluating its ties with Pakatan after losing the supposedly ‘safe’ seat of Kota Damansara, and not winning Semenyih or Jelapang.
PSM’s only electoral victory was in Sungai Siput, with Jeyakumar retaining his position as MP.
In Kota Damansara, PSM president Nasir Hashim had to face off not only an Umno candidate and three independents, but also PAS’ Ridzuan Ismail despite Nasir running on a PKR ticket.
In Semenyih, Arutchelvan used PSM’s clenched fist logo and ran against Umno’s Johan Abdul Aziz and PKR’s Hamidi Hassan.
In Jepalang, PSM’s M Sarasvathy faced down an MIC candidate and an opponent from DAP.