Since its talks with DAP is at a standstill, it looks like the yet-to-be registered Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) may take up Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (Keadilan) offer to field its candidates under the latter's banner.

Contacted today, PSM central committee member K Gunasegaran said the matter will be discussed at a meeting tonight and an official announcement will be made by Wednesday.

"We have been waiting too long for DAP's decision," he said of the stalled talks on whether PSM could once again field its candidates under the DAP banner.

He added that since the party was losing time waiting for DAP, the party may decide to go with Keadilan.

He also stressed that discussions with Keadilan leaders in Ipoh last night showed much promise in that direction.

Alternative offer

In the 1999 general election, PSM's vice-president Dr D Jeyakumar contested in the Sungai Siput constituency in Perak under a DAP ticket.

Last month it was revealed that DAP had also identified a candidate for the parliamentary seat, which is the traditional stronghold of MIC president S Samy Vellu.

The party had also offered Jeyakumar to join DAP which he turned down.

Samy Vellu had retained the seat by a majority of 5,259 votes against Jeyakumar; a sharp drop from his whopping 15,610 plus majority in 1995.

PSM leaders also dismissed DAP's alternative offer - that the party take the Jalong state seat while PSM contests the Sungai Siput seat - due to the considerable amount of grassroots advocacy it had done in the area since 1999.

In total, PSM only plans to field four candidates for the polls. It's president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim will contest the Subang parliamentary seat and V Selvam for the Bukit Lanjan state seat.