Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) said it was their democratic right to contest three PKR-held parliamentary seats in the next GE and should Pakatan refuse to negotiate with the party, it was “their problem”.

Responding to critics over their intentions, PRM president Rohana Ariffin said, "It is our democratic right to compete... and we requested to stand in those area.”

leftist role in independence forum 150911 rohana ariffin She said if the opposition is not willing to negotiate then that is their problem.

Rohana, ( left ) said this in a statement today, adding hope that the opposition would not oppress them “like what the government had been doing”.

Rohana stressed that the party does not want to create a three-cornered fight and is "willing to negotiate" with Pakatan.

Yesterday PRM’s newly-elected president announced that they were gunning for Balik Pulau in Penang, and Selayang and Petaling Jaya Selatan in Selangor in the next general election.

According to Rohana, the move provoked severe criticism in an online news report.

The seats involved are currently held by Yusmadi Yusof, William Leong and Hee Loy Sian respectively.

'We still have support'

Justifying PRM’s stand, Rohana said they felt they still had many supporters in the three seats.

"For Selayang, PRM's Koh Su Yong was a candidate there... although we didn't win, we want to try again," she said.

She added they had also been contesting in Balik Pulau for many years and had been “doing good work” in Petaling Jaya Selatan.

"We only requested to contest in three parliamentary seats out of 222 seats.

"I also feel that there should be a diversity of different voices in parliament from different political parties," she said.

The present PSM is a faction that carried on with the party name after the rest agreed to merge with PKR in 2003.

However, PKR leaders, including those formerly in the leadership of the leftist party founded in 1955 by independence fighter and one-time MP Ahmad Boestamam, have insisted that PRM no longer exist after the merger.

Balik Pulau MP open

Meanwhile in an immediate reaction, PKR Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi welcomed the socialist party’s re-emergence in the political scene.

"I don't see their noble move as creating problems for me, but as an opportunity to create a movement of the people to beat the BN agenda," he told reporters at a press conference in Parliament House today.

Yusmadi, who is also PKR supreme council member, said he believes the PRM agenda is closer to Pakatan's compared to the BN, and urged Rohana and PRM's leadership to open negotiations with him and Pakatan to work together in defeating BN.

He added that while he could not comment on seat allocations and candidates at the moment, he welcomed any capable candidate such as Rohana who steps forward to work for the betterment of Balik Pulau voters.

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