Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj yesterday yet again became the sole MP to declare his wealth annually to date.

Re-elected for the second term as Sungai Siput MP last year, the medical doctor has RM265,300 worth of cash and property to his name, made up of:

  • A house in Ipoh – RM140,000 (up from RM130,000 last year);
  • A 1988 Volvo car – RM10,000 (up from RM2,000 last year);
  • 1996 Pajero 4WD vehicle (gift from a friend) – RM6,000;
  • 1986 Mazda car (used by the PSM Buntong branch) - RM300;
  • 2000 Nissan Sentra car – RM15,000;
  • Life savings - RM50,000 (up from RM10,000 last year);
  • Shares - RM44,000 (up from RM10,000 last year).
Jeyakumar ( left ) said that his Volvo was estimated by a used car dealer to be worth RM2,000 last year, but a recent check on a used car website found that it is actually worth RM10,000.

The declaration was endorsed by a commissioner of oaths.

Speaking at a function to declare his wealth yesterday, Jeyakumar said parliamentarians are civil servants and cannot use their position to obtain wealth.

PSM has a tradition of mandating that its representatives in public office to declare their wealth.

"He is the only member of Parliament to (consistently) do so till today," said PSM in a statement yesterday.

Pakatan leaders for example Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy have also done so in the past.

'More resources needed'

According to Jeyakumar, lack of resources does hinder the party from providing assistance to the constituents to a certain extent.

He expects 2,500 complaints to be lodged on community matters at his service centre this year with issues ranging from higher shop rentals, land grants, deaths in custody to native customary land.

“Not all of these issues can be resolved successfully but the key factor in solving them is people’s participation. PSM encourages the people to actively participate in the struggle for human rights.

“In Perak, BN and Pakatan hold almost the same number of seats in the state legislative assembly, so now is the time for the ordinary man, the farmer and the smallholders, to be bold in their struggles in order to gain attention from both sides,” Jeyakumar added.