In a boisterous speech today to an audience that included Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, People's Progressive Party (PPP) president M Kayveas continued to make his case for more allocation of seats for the coalition's oldest component.

Kayveas, who is a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the coalition should fulfill its obligation to the 58-year-old party, which had switched from the opposition in 1972 on the condition it is allowed to contest in four parliamentary seats and eight state seats.

"The goal of any political party is to nominate and elect its candidates and be represented by the people.

"As PPP president who is responsible to PPP members, I feel that PPP is incomplete as a political party and as a partner of the Barisan Nasional.

"That is why in each state convention, I repeat PPP's request for at least one seat from each state," said Kayveas to applause of over 2,000 delegates. Abdullah was the guest of honour.

Kayveas lamented that despite the ruling coalition's membership of 14 component parties, he felt the decision-making process were a throwback to the days of the Alliance, whose members were Umno, MCA and MIC. His remedy was more representation for the party.

"I realise there are certain parties that have labelled me as rambunctious and as always seeking cheap publicity, and there are those who have accused me and PPP as troublemakers in the Barisan Nasional.

"This is despite the fact that I represent 530,222 PPP members at all levels who are all voters of Barisan Nasional," he said to loud applause.

"But the fact is PPP in Barisan Nasional needs to survive, it needs to have the mandate of the people so it continues to be a BN component that is relevant and effective," he said.

An insult by Umno veep

PPP, formed by opposition lawyers DR Seenivasagam and SP Seenivasagam in 1953, saw its allocation gradually reduced from a total of 12 parliamentary and states seats in the 1974 elections to no seats in 1990.

It was brought into the BN's fold for its non-Malay votes, mainly in Perak in 1972, but only won one parliamentary seat and two state seats in the 1974 elections.

Kayveas, who was made president in 1993 and won the Taiping parliamentary seat in 2004, said the BN component should be open to allow PPP to contest in each state.

"This was the suggestion made by the Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob," he said.

Kayveas also criticised Malacca Chief Minister and Umno vice president Mohd Ali Rustam, who at the PPP Melaka annual general meeting last Sunday, said the party should leave BN if it did not waver from it's one state, one seat demand.

"Datuk Seri, this is totally against Islam Hadhari. I was there, we were told to leave Barisan Nasional.

"We did not react to the Malacca chief minister's remarks, abuse and insults, not because we could not or I could not, but in the spirit of BN we maintained a very high level of tolerance and discipline to allow our guest CM to complete his speech.

"I quote an Arab saying - examine what was said, not he who speaks. I apologise for using this opportunity to raise the matter, but I need to correct the inaccurate public perception on myself or PPP.

"I am willing to ask for an apology because I know PPP members will not forgive me if I did not voice out this sensitive matter," he said to a standing ovation.

"Life is like this, we get hit by little pebbles, as a kind of warning. When we ignore the pebbles, we get hit by a brick. Ignore the brick and we get wiped out by boulder. Without seats, sir, PPP is like getting hit by tsunami," he said to Abdullah.

BN to consider

Kayveas also referred to satirical cartoon 'Senyum Kambing' published by Utusan Malaysia on Oct 16 in which a character mentioned Ali Rustam's statement that there are no seats for PPP in Malacca.

Kayveas quoted also a second character, who responded 'I hope Kayveas understands.'

Kayveas said in jest to Abdullah, " Memanglah saya faham, Datuk Seri, malah lebih faham tentang sepak terajang di dalam dunia politik tanah air kita ini . (Yes, I understand, Datuk Seri, in fact I understand better the political play in our country)."

In his opening speech, Abdullah said that the BN would look into PPP's request for more seats.