GE14 | PSM’s two-term Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar says that although his party supports the opposition front Pakatan Harapan, formerly Pakatan Rakyat, the latter is not giving them much space.

“Since 2011, we have always said we will work with them, but they haven’t reciprocated. Even when they formed Harapan and held seat negotiations, we were not invited.

“We are in a difficult situation ... we want them to do well but then they are not giving us much space.

“They are completely marginalising us, that is our dilemma,” Jeyakumar was reported telling The Star yesterday.

PSM has prepared candidates for 16 seats apart from Sungai Siput, but Harapan is not giving them the extra five parliamentary seats and 11 state seats.

“They are asking for too much. If they are prepared to allow us to contest in eight seats and ask us to stand down from another eight, we can consider.

“They are prepared to give me Sungai Siput on a PKR ticket if PSM does not stand in seats like Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and Kota Damansara.

“Including Sungai Siput, these are the seats where we are fairly strong in,” he told The Star.

Going it alone

Jeyakumar said two senior MPs from PKR and DAP have initiated talks with him last week over the seat demands.

He said if they cannot reach a reasonable deal, PSM will go it alone in the 17 seats.

Jeyakumar believes PSM has "certain approaches that are useful to Malaysia."

"We can’t let it die because Harapan doesn’t want to give us space," he said, adding that the party is looking at the "bigger picture" and the "longer term."

In the 2013 general election, PSM persisted to contest the Semenyih seat after PKR refused to give way to their candidate S Arutchelvan. Both the parties’ candidates lost the seat in a three-way contest with BN.

PSM received 5,568 votes, PKR 13,471 to Umno-BN’s 17,616.

That election, they also lost Kota Damansara under PKR’s ticket, after PAS fielded its own candidate despite having agreed to let PKR contest it.

Umno took the seat formerly held by PSM-PKR, in a multi-cornered fight garnering 16,387 votes to PSM-PKR’s 14,860 and PAS’ 7,312.