PSM to contest Kajang by-election?

The Malay Mail, 28 January 2014

Ikhwan Zulkaflee

Secretary-general gen S Arutchelvan is in the running as he fulfills the party's criteria 

PETALING JAYA: PKR should not discount the possibility that the Kajang by-election will be a crowded field.

PSM is mulling contesting the seat after receiving backing from youth NGOs who are fed up with the current situation in the PKR-led Selangor government.

“PSM has received numerous calls to contest the Kajang seat but we have not decide anything yet. 

The youth NGOs think that we should be the third choice in the by-election.

“Party president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim has called for a meeting to discuss the calls,” PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan told FMT today.

According to Arutchelvan, PSM is actively serving the people of Kajang.

“We have set the criteria for any PSM candidate to contest an election, and he must have served the constituency for at least five years.

“We have candidates (who match the criteria set by the party) as we’ve been active in Kajang,” he added.

No decision yet 

Arutchelvan also did not deny speculation that he will be nominated by PSM, adding that he is eligible.

“There are a lot of speculations that I would contest but we have not decided on anything. For the Kajang state seat, based on party’s criteria, I’m eligible,” he said.

In the 13th General Election (GE13), PKR first timer, Lee Chin Cheh, won the Kajang state seat by defeating five other candidates, including three independents.

Lee gained 19,571 votes, a 6,824 majority followed by BN’s Lee Ban Seng (12,747); Berjasa’s Mohamad Ismail (1,014), Independents Ir Mohd Iwan Jeffrey Abdul Majid (249), Ong Yau Foo (85) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83).

Based on this trend, PKR should not discount the possibility that independents candidates can turn out to be spoilers in this third by-election after GE13.

Arutchelvan  lost the Semenyih state seat, just outside Kajang, in the last general election under the PSM banner as PKR decided not to cave in to PSM plea  to let them have a straight contest with BN candidate Johan Abd Aziz.

In 2008, Arutchelvan lost the seat narrowly to Johan under the PKR banner, but PKR decison to nominated Hamidi A Hassan in May 2013 resulting in Johan winning the seat with a 4,145 majority votes. Hamidi gained 13,471 votes followed by Arutchelvan with 5,568 votes.