PETALING JAYA: Perak DAP has questioned PSM’s logic in wanting to contest seats last won by the opposition, in the upcoming 14th general election (GE14).
“If you want to help the opposition, why do you want to create problems in seats won by DAP?” Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming told FMT today about PSM’s latest strategy.
The Taiping MP said PSM leaders had not consulted him about their decision to run in DAP-held constituencies.
He added that such a move would be unfair, particularly after DAP had allowed Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of PSM to run in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in previous elections.
Earlier today, PSM chairman Nasir Hashim was reported as saying that the party would contest on its own ticket in GE14, rather than that of another party as it had done previously.
He said PSM’s use of other parties’ logos had only resulted in “broken promises” on seat arrangements.
He also confirmed that Pakatan Harapan (PH) had not approached PSM for seat negotiations, adding that his party had been “backstabbed” in past elections and was usually approached only at the “last minute” by other opposition parties.
Nga however has questioned PSM’s motive in contesting in opposition-held seats instead of those held by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said DAP saw no reason for it not to contest in Sungai Siput if PSM was not open to discussions to prevent opposition votes from being split elsewhere.
“That is why DAP plans to contest in Sugai Siput. If they weren’t disturbing us, do you think we would want to disturb them?”
Nga added that DAP never wanted to contest the seat as they respected Jeyakumar and were prepared to go all out to assist him.
“But that respect needs to be earned. If he respected us, we will also extend our olive branch to him.”
It was previously reported that PSM intended to contest in 20 constituencies in GE14, including Sungai Siput, as well as the Semenyih, Kota Damansara and Jelapang state seats, which it contested in and lost in the last general election.
Jeyakumar had said PSM was never given a chance by the other opposition parties to prove its worth, adding that they were never invited to take part in discussions when the parties were mulling the formation of a new opposition coalition.
Jeyakumar, a medical doctor, first contested in Sungai Siput on a DAP ticket in 1999, before going under the PKR banner for the next three elections until 2013.
In the 1999 and 2004 elections, Jeyakumar lost his bid for the seat to long-time MIC MP and then-federal minister S Samy Vellu.
He, however, defeated Samy Vellu in 2008 and successfully defended the seat against MIC’s SK Devamany, who was a deputy minister, in 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment