PSM to lock horns with Pakatan in two seats

However, the party's candidates in Sungai Siput and Kota Damansara will face one-on-one duels with BN.

KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) will be on a collision course with PKR for the Semenyih state seat in Selangor and the Jelapang state seat in Perak, which will be three-cornered fights.

However, PSM will have one-to-one battles with Barisan Nasional in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in Perak and Kota Damansara state seat in Selangor.

“Sungai Siput incumbent Dr D Michael Jeyakumar has just spoken to Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

“We have been informed that PKR would issue authorisation letter to Jeyakumar and our chairman Nasir Hashim, the incumbent in Kota Damansara without conditions,” announced PSM secretary- general S Arutchelvan who is also the PSM candidate for Semenyih.

Earlier, Arutchelvan rejected PKR’s conditional offer for the authorisation letter from PKR secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution.

Saifuddin had previously dangled the authorisation letter, hoping that PSM would back off from Semenyih and Jelapang.

“Our sole condition is that PSM will not contest against Pakatan Rakyat in three-cornered fights in any other seats,” he had said.

“In all negotiations, we win some and lose some. We believe that PSM can understand this and will not contest against Pakatan in three-cornered fights in any other seats.

“We hope that PSM and PKR-Pakatan can set our differences aside, refrain from three-cornered fights, and work together towards our common cause to oppose Umno-BN so we can advance the people’s interest, and bring about much-needed change and reforms,” said Saifuddin.

In response to Saifuddin’s statement, Arutchelvan said: “We’re rejecting the manipulation of facts.”

“The three-cornered fight in Semenyih began when Selangor PKR chief Azmin Ali named his crony Hamidi Hasan as candidate.”

Arutchelvan also assured that PSM “would not do a Hindraf” on Pakatan.

Hindraf leader P Waythamoorthy yesterday had called upon Indians to support BN after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak accepted its proposals to uplift Indians.

(MORE TO FOLLOW)