PSM yields to Pakatan on logos but not candidates

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has today yielded to pressure from their Pakatan Rakyat allies and agreed to forego using its red-and-white clenched-fist logo.

However, the party but stressed that it would not pull out any of its four candidates in Selangor and Perak in the 13th General Election.

PSM had decided that avoiding three corner fights in the election was more important in line with the ABU(Anything But Umno) concept. This was the decision following a Emergency National Committee Meeting last night attended by 93 delegates.

“PSM members yesterday have reversed the decision taken in the National Committee meeting of 13 January 2013 which endorsed that PSM stand all four seats in the coming election under the PSM logo,” said PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan, or Arul, in a press statement.

PSM’s condition to use Pakatan’s logo was that neither PKR, PAS or DAP field any of its candidates in any of the four seats PSM plans to contest.

These seats are namely Semenyih and Kota Damansara state seats in Selangor; Sungai Siput parliament and Jelapang state seat in Perak.

“The PSM meeting further maintained that without a doubt, PSM will contest in the four seats and sought the PR not to field candidates there,” added Arul.

Another decision of the meeting was that PSM will reject a request made by 12 non PSM members mostly from the Pakatan Rakyat to allow them to stand in the elections on the PSM logo.

“The decision was taken as it goes against the PSM’s own election standards where candidates must have worked in an area for 5 years and endorsed by the local branch. PSM also does not allow parachute candidates,” said Arul.

The latest PSM decision today throws the ball back to Pakatan Rakyat, most notably its top leader PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim, who on Sunday made a surprise move by announcing a PKR candidate for the Semenyih state seat despite negotiations with PSM still ongoing.

All eyes will now be on PKR and DAP, which is not letting go of the seat in Jelapang, on whether they would give way to these PSM candidates.

If the Pakatan coalition partner decides to continue fielding PKR’s Hamidi Hassan in Semenyih, and other candidates in Kota Damansara state seat(now held by PSM president Dr Nasir Hashim) and in Sungai Siput parliamentary seat(now held by Dr D Michael Jeyakumar); and to put a DAP candidate in Jelapang: these seats would likely see a three-way fight.

On Sunday night, Opposition Leader and PKR de facto chief Anwar Ibrahim announced his Serdang division chief Hamidi Hassan as the Semenyih candidate.

This announcement upset PSM, who claimed that PKR had backtracked on its words by fielding candidates in PSM contested seats. PKR has not clarified on the situation.

In 2008, Arutchelvan lost in Semenyih to Umno’s Johan Aziz by 1,140 votes. Johan polled 11,588 votes to Arutchelvan’s 10,448 votes.

In Kota Damansara Dr Nasir polled 11,846 votes and beat Umno’s Zein Isma Ismail by a majority of 1,075 votes. Zein obtained 10,771 votes..

Most notably, PSM supreme council member Dr Jeyakumar brought down former MIC president S Samy Vellu by winning the Sungai Siput seat with a majority of 1,821 votes. He polled 16,458 votes to Samy’s 14,637 votes.

In Jelapang, PSM deputy chairman M Sarasvathy was defeated in a three-cornered battle.

DAP’s Hee Yit Foong polled 12,219 votes to win against MCA candidate, Loh Kai Pin’s 5,512 votes and Sarasvathy’s 1,275 votes in the Chinese-majority seat located in Batu Gajah. However, Hee was one of the reps who jumped ship later leading to the Perak takeover by BN.

For this coming election, DAP has so far been adamant that it wants to place its candidate in Jelapang, but has not announced a name.