Right man, wrong party
Devamany's hands are tied in BN, says Jeyakumar
Monday, April 22,
2013 - 12:06
Location:
SUNGAI SIPUT
This is the prognosis of Dr Michael Jeyakumar, the incumbent Sungai Siput MP.
Dr Jeyakumar, the central committee member of the
Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), said that despite Devamany’s experience in
dealing with issues affecting the Indian community such as poverty, education
and employment, he would never be able to speak out against claims of corruption
and power abuse in the government.
“There is no question about his background and credentials. In fact, he is a friend whom I have known for over 30 years," he said after launching PSM’s election car sticker on Thursday.
“But with the party he is representing, he won't be able to tackle issues of corruption involving Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians."
He was responding to an interview with Devamany pubished in The Malay Mail last week, in which he said he also had similar concerns and experienced similar hardships as PSM members, which made him a formidable force against Dr Jeyakumar.
Dr Jeyakumar said the involvement of Datuk Seri S.Samy Vellu — the man he beat in 2008 — as a possible candidate for Sungai Siput earlier on, might also derail BN's chances of wresting the parliamentary seat.
“His supporters may not be able to accept that he, being a towering figure in Sungai Siput, is not selected," he said, short of suggesting that Samy Vellu’s supporters would sabotage the MIC campaign.
“His ego is also probably hurt."
Dr Jeyakumar also said PSM would garner the support of voters from all races based on its track record of good service despite limited funds.
"Among others, we have helped the orang asli, small farmers and those who are without proper identity cards despite being born here,” he said.
On another note, he said the party did see the need to change its logo despite critics saying that it was "extremist".
“For the past 10 years, the logo had not caused any problem in Sungai Siput.
“However, we don’t want the logo to affect Pakatan Rakyat (PR) outside of Sungai Siput as people may not be familiar with PSM and the work we do,” he said.
DR JEYAKUMAR: PSM will have the support of all races based on
its good track record
He said PSM would willingly contest under the PKR or DAP logos anywhere.
On the three-way fight for the Jelapang state seat, he said it was regrettable as PSM had served the constituency in the last couple of years.
“Still, we would continue to support PR
unconditionally in its bid to form the state government," he said.
“Nevertheless, the election results would show what matters more to voters — a candidate’s track record or the party’s brand name."
He said PSM was good for the country as it would discourage parachute candidates in the future.
In the last election, Jeyakumar polled 16,458 votes
to Samy Vellu's 14,637.
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