PSM eyeing Subang seat, confident can get middle-class backing

PETALING JAYA: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is confident it can win both the Subang parliamentary seat and the Kota Damansara state seat in the 14th general election (GE14).

Speaking to FMT, PSM secretary-general A Sivarajan said that although the party was perceived only to be able to attract the support of the poor, it had also made headway among the well-to-do in Subang.

“We have handled both urban poor and council issues in Subang,” he said.

As examples of middle-class issues, he cited the campaign for local council elections, helping residents to give feedback on council budgets, holding town hall meetings in Kota Damansara with Prasarana when the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) was being built, and campaigning to preserve the Kota Damansara forest from development encroachment.

“During our chairman Nasir Hashim’s tenure as Kota Damansara assemblyman, we had two councillors from his constituency, so we are very familiar with these issues.”

In GE13, Nasir stood for the second time under PKR’s banner for the Kota Damansara seat but lost to Umno’s Halimaton Saadiah Bohan after a PAS candidate split the votes.

In GE12, Nasir had won with 52.38% of the votes against Umno’s Zein Isma Ismail.

As for the Subang parliamentary seat, Nasir had only contested for the seat in GE11 – again under PKR’s banner – and lost against MIC’s Karnail Singh Nijhar who won more than 65% of the votes.

The seat went to PKR’s Sivarasa Rasiah in the following two general elections against BN candidates.

Sivarajan said, however, it was not fair to compare GE11 with GE12 and GE13.

“During 2004, the opposition was having trouble in many areas. It was only in 2008 that the wave for change came in.

“PSM has done a lot of work in Subang even as far back as 1999. We are no strangers to Subang.”

Meanwhile, Sivarasa said Pakatan Harapan believed the best way to oust BN was through straight fights.

“This is what voters want to see on the day of GE14,” he said.

“Therefore, we will continue to discuss with PSM and all other relevant parties the best way to achieve this result.” -FMT