PSM accuses PKR and DAP of not honouring promises

(The Star) – A senior Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) official has accused PKR and DAP of not delivering on past promises on seat allocation and allowing PSM to run using its own logo.

PSM central committee member S. Arutchelvan (pic) said his party will therefore go ahead and contest the 14th general election using its logo despite being told by Pakatan Harapan that it can only contest in one seat using the PKR logo.

“Soon the Pakatan machinery will talk about how they were so magnanimous in allowing PSM a seat for the coming general election, but supposedly PSM is being arrogant in demanding more seats.

“They will accuse us of makan dedak Najib (being bribed by Najib) and for forcing three-cornered fights,” Arutchelvan said in a statement.

“In that meeting Anwar clearly said and appealed to us to use the PKR logo and after that we can use our own logo.

“Those from Pakatan Harapan who speak today must understand this history of PSM’s relationship with the opposition coalition,” he said.

PSM applied to be registered as a political party on April 30, 1998, with its application approved by the Registrar of Societies in August 2008.

Arutchelvan said that when PSM made its electoral debut in the 1999 general election, it wanted to stand in only one seat, namely the parliamentary constituency of Subang in Selangor.

He said Lim Kit Siang, who is now DAP adviser, offered Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim who is now PSM national chairman to contest the seat on a DAP ticket.

“But on Oct 24, 1999, we got the shocking news that the seat would be offered to Irene Fernandez of Parti Keadilan Nasional to fulfil some Indian quota,” Arutchelvan said.

He said Lim also agreed in 1999 to allow PSM’s Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj to run in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in Perak under a DAP ticket, but added that DAP then became unhappy when Dr Jeyakumar later opened a PSM service centre in the constituency.

DAP, he said, then told PSM that Dr Jeyakumar would only be allowed to run again for the seat in 2004 on a DAP ticket if he became a DAP member.

“Dr Jeyakumar declined and hence DAP did not lend their logo to PSM (in 2004),” said Arutchelvan, adding that PSM then contested using PKR’s logo for the 2004 general election.

Arutchelvan said PSM was told in the run-up to the 2008 general election that it would be allowed to contest the Jelapang state seat in Perak on a PKR ticket.

“Initially we were told there was no problem but at the last minute, we were told that Jelapang is a DAP seat,” he said.