Pakatan and its ally PSM at odds over Jelapang

Many see the rift between Jelapang Independent assemblyperson Hee Yit Foong and MCA to contest the DAP stronghold as an opportunity for Pakatan Rakyat to reclaim the seat. The opposition coalition is however also at odds with its ally Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) over who should contest there.

While PSM is hoping for a straight fight against BN, DAP is adamant to retain the seat. 

“PSM’s problem is that we can’t switch at the last moment. One of our internal requirements is that we must work in a place for four or five years before we can stand (as a candidate). 

“Now the offer (from Pakatan Rakyat) is for several state seats in Perak, but it is difficult for us to go,” said PSM central committee member Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj (right). 

When contacted, he told Malaysiakini that PSM’s objectives in the next general election are two-fold - to help Pakatan Rakyat win the best victory it can, and to retain its foothold in national politics. 

The party has contested in one parliamentary seat and three state seats in the 2008 general election, and intends to contest in these seats again, including Jelapang. 

Jeyakumar said this is already very reasonable as some of its members had done good groundwork, but would not be able to contest in order not to complicate matters. 

Thus far, he said, Pakatan Rakyat and PSM have a consensus that they are on the same side and their common goal is to defeat BN. 

Nonetheless, seat negotiations had dragged on for about a year with no end in sight. 

Jeyakumar said PSM had urged Pakatan Rakyat to make way for its candidates in these four seats at least for the next general election, the other three being Sungai Siput, Semenyih, and Kota Damansara.

After the upcoming 13th general election, PSM would then swap seats with Pakatan Rakyat for the 14th general election if necessary, and this would allow time for it to prepare its candidates. 

He added that PSM represents a different segment of society, especially the poor and marginalised, and their presence would complement Pakatan Rakyat. 

“There are some strong Pakatan Rakyat supporters who see our point, but DAP really wants that seat. So that is the problem,” said Jeyakumar. 

He conceded that in the worst case scenario, there would be a three-corner fight between DAP, MCA and PSM, but still hopes to avoid this through the ongoing negotiations. 

‘Decision is to avoid dissatisfaction’

Meanwhile, DAP Perak chief Ngeh Khoo Ham puts his stance on the matter more bluntly. 

“There is no negotiation going on. I do not know but maybe PSM is appealing to national (leaders), but as far as Perak Pakatan Rakyat is concerned, we have made a very firm decision. 

“We have informed PSM that in solidarity with Pakatan Rakyat, they should not field a candidate (in Jelapang),” Ngeh (right in photo) said when contacted. 

He said that the decision was to avoid dissatisfaction within the ranks that could result in DAP members withdrawing support for Jeyakumar’s candidacy in Sungai Siput. 

When asked to confirm whether there are ongoing talks between DAP and PSM, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng declined to comment, citing “strategic reasons”. 

Jelapang is a relatively new seat; a DAP stronghold created in 2004 that has been held by the incumbent, Hee, ever since. 

The last general election saw a three-corner fight over the constituency between DAP, MCA, and PSM, with Hee raking in 64.29 percent of the popular vote. 

The PSM candidate, M Sarasvathy, only garnered 6.7 percent of the 19,006 votes cast, and lost her deposit. The MCA candidate at the time was Loh Koi Ping, who won 29 percent of the votes. 

However, Hee defected and turned into a BN-friendly independent assemblyperson along with several others in 2009, toppling the then Pakatan Rakyat-led Perak government. 

Hee (left) reportedly announced herintentions to defend her seat under a BN banner last week but was coy on the details, saying that it would be announced by BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak. 

A day later, MCA president Chua Soi Lek issued a statement denying this. 

“Neither the Jelapang MCA division nor I had deliberated about allowing an outsider to stand in the seat under the MCA ticket,” said Chua, who is also the Perak MCA liaison committee chief.

Malaysiakini’s attempts to reach Hee for comment had been unsuccessful. 

In her interview with Oriental Daily last week, Hee was quoted as saying that her constituents had praised her service, and those who condemned her defection later apologised to her. She added that many voters welcomed her decision to recontest. 

However, when asked, Ngeh, Sarasvathy, and DAP activist Frankie Wong all resoundingly dismissed her chances. 

‘Everybody spits on her’

They believed that voters had voted for DAP and not her personally, and are still sore over her perceived betrayal. 

“Everybody spits on her,” said Wong when asked how the locals felt about her. 

He also claimed that Hee was never seen doing any fieldwork for her constituents. 

Wong is a DAP activist in the constituency, and was appointed by the party to cobble together a service team in Jelapang after Hee defected. He led the team for about three years and is now Ipoh Barat MP M Kula Segaran’s aide. 

He said that if Hee contests as an independent, she would win 500 votes at most. If she contests under an MCA ticket, he would thank her. 

“MCA will dig its own grave by recruiting her as an MCA member. 

“At this juncture, I don’t think even Umno would dare to press MCA to accept her. She is just poison to any party,” he said when contacted. 

He added that DAP has a ‘culture’ where regardless of a candidate’s credentials, voters would punish defections. 

As an example, he pointed out that Foo Tiew Kok, who had served two terms as assemblyperson and one term as an MP, had lost his deposit when he defected to PKR and contested in Jelapang in 2004. 

PKR and DAP were not allies at the time. 

Wong also believed that PSM would be “irrelevant” in a three-corner fight, taking away about 1,000 votes as before. 

Nevertheless, Sarasvathy (centre in photo) believes she stands a chance in a straight fight, and that voters are now mature enough to see the candidate’s credentials and not only the party he or she represents. 

She said that despite not holding any government position, she still gets invitations to many events. 

“We can see that there is a lot of improvement. I have been there since the last election although I had lost my deposit, I am there to service the people. They see that,” said the PSM deputy chairperson.