The yet-to-be-registered Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has rejected DAP's latest offer to avoid a three-cornered fight in the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency, one of Perak's hot seats.

PSM pro tem vice-president Dr D Jeyakumar said the DAP has agreed to the former contesting in the parliamentary seat but wants PSM to give up the Jalong state seat which is in the same constituency.

Jeyakumar added that PSM leaders had planned to contest in both the parliamentary and state seats as Independent candidates, as the party has made inroads into the areas since the last general election.

Describing the seat allocation issue as "murky," Jeyakumar said the two opposition parties were still negotiating and trying their best to preserve unity in the opposition.

He told malaysiakini when contacted yesterday that PSM has written to the DAP stating their feelings about the matter but the DAP has yet to reply.

Last month, Jeyakumar declined DAP's offer to join the party and contest under the latter's banner in the coming general election.

The medical doctor, who is keen to contest in Sungai Siput, said he was prepared to run under DAP or Keadilan's banner but the decision has to be conveyed to him immediately.

DAP had urged the politician to join the party in order to avoid a three-cornered tussle for the seat, which is the traditional stronghold of MIC president S Samy Vellu.

In the 1999 polls, Jeyakumar stood under a DAP ticket but lost the seat to Samy by 5,259 votes.

DAP leaders mum

Meanwhile, Jeyakumar said PSM was prepared to contest under DAP or Keadilan's banner "but we need to know soon so that we can prepare our campaign strategies immediately".

In an immediate response, Perak DAP state chief Ngeh Koo Ham neither confirmed nor denied the party's latest invitation to PSM.

"Did he say that? I guess I have not replied to his letter yet," said Ngeh, referring to the letter recently sent by PSM rejecting the DAP's offer.

Ngeh refused to comment further, saying that all decisions on seat allocation would be handled by the DAP headquarters.

"Only the secretary-general can comment on the matter," he said.

The party's central leadership is also keeping mum on the matter.

When contacted, DAP deputy-secretary general M Kulasegaran echoed Ngeh's sentiments.

"I am not authorised to talk about this. I have received clear instructions from the party headquarters not to talk about the matter," he said.

In a related development, PSM announced that the party would field a candidate in the Subang parliamentary seat which was formerly contested by Keadilan Wanita leader and social activist Irene Fernandez. However, she failed to wrest the seat from the BN.

Fernandez had recently expressed her intentions to contest in Sungai Petani, her hometown in Kedah.

Early last month, PSM launched its manifesto and announced its intention to contest two parliamentary and two state seats.

Its pro tem president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim is expected to stand in Subang while K Paneer Selvam and K Kunasekaran will contest Kota Damansara in Selangor and Jalong in Perak.

However, PSM pro tem secretary general S Arutchelvan said Keadilan had agreed to "give way" to PSM to fight the BN in Subang.

"Likewise, we are giving up the Kota Damansara seat to PAS as we realised that PAS had serviced the area," he said.

"But we want Bukit Lanjan in Selangor although DAP is also eyeing the seat," he said.