Pakatan at loss with PSM

Pakatan Rakyat seems to play dumb on PSM's application to join the coalition.

PETALING JAYA: The Pakatan Rakyat leadership is unusually tight-lipped on the reasons as to why they have not accepted Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) into their folds despite an application filed by PSM a year ago.

Top leaders in Pakatan such as PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and deputy chairman Tan Kok Wai declined to elaborate when probed about PSM’s status; saying that no decision has been made on the matter to-date.

Only PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar reiterated an old statement that PSM must first accept Pakatan’s common policy framework in order to be inducted.

“For me it’s more on economic policies, for example we (Pakatan and PSM) of course share the same views on Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, but Pakatan feel that Malaysia is a trading nation,” she said.

She said a letter has been sent to PSM on this, but a check by FMT with Pakatan secretariat found that the last letter communicated with PSM was done before the 2013 General Election on May 5.

Meanwhile, Mustafa said PSM’s application to join has not been rejected but he refused to divulge on the details.

“There are still issues to be discussed, but I cannot tell you what,” he said.

He too declined to answer whether the delay had something to do with PSM’s socialist ideology or fist-clenching logo.

Lim said the question should be posed to PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, who has said this week that PSM would not be invited to Pakatan’s 5th National Convention next month.

Tan, on the other hand, said he has no authority to speak on the subject.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has said on June 2013 that PSM would never be accepted into Pakatan, but it was followed by Pakatan supremo Anwar Ibrahim’s statement that the coalition has setup a panel to discuss PSM application.

PSM insists that the ball is in Pakatan’s court to decide on its application.