Harapan to reveal electoral pact draft to Muda, PSM

Pakatan Harapan will make its electoral pact requirements known to Muda and PSM when its presidential council sends a draft agreement to both parties today.

Harapan presidential council member Steven Sim said a draft agreement will be sent out to both parties for them to review and revert for negotiations.

However, he said the draft agreement did not stipulate seat allocations.

“There are no specific locations mentioned in the agreement as it contains mainly the basic agreement and principles for cooperation.

“The broad principles are for negotiations after we agree,” Sim told Malaysiakini.

Yesterday, Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim confirmed the coalition’s decision to cooperate with Muda in the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) but only in the form of an electoral pact and not as a component party as that would require the approval of the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

PSM wants Sungai Siput

Meanwhile, PSM deputy chairperson S Arulchelvan said they were open to using a single logo and agreed to field candidates in non-Harapan incumbent seats with one crucial exception.

He told Malaysiakini the party will convey its request for PSM chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar to contest the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat.

“We believe we have a wide choice even if we are to contest in non-Harapan-incumbent seats but the Sungai Siput constituency is very important to us.

“Sungai Siput is where Jeyakumar has been working with the grassroots communities since his student days in 1977.

“It is a PSM stronghold and I believe that MIC president SA Vigneswaran who intends to contest that seat views Jeyakumar as a threat,” Arulchelvan said.

“The word on the ground is that Vigneswaran has shifted a large section of the MIC election machinery to Sungai Siput,” he added.

Vigneswaran hopes to recapture the constituency that was held by former MIC president Samy Vellu for eight terms from 1974 until he was unseated by Jeyakumar in 2008.

The Sungai Siput incumbent is PKR’s Kesavan Subramaniam who won a four-cornered fight in 2018, beating MIC’s Devamany Krishnasamy, PAS’ Ishak Ibrahim and Jeyakumar.

Reluctant to reveal the number of PSM candidates who have been trained for GE15 before inking the electoral pact, Arulchelvan only divulged that they were a mix of experienced candidates and youth.

“Once we have finalised our electoral pact with Harapan, we will start crowdfunding from the public to help fund our campaign,” he said.

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COMMENT | The real fight is between Harapan and Umno