The seat has become the centre of a verbal tussle between the three.
PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli said PSM needed to come to an understanding with the other two parties over the constituency for GE14, which is due by August next year.
He said since PSM’s Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj had contested and won there in the last general election in May 2013 under PKR’s ticket, he should respect that the seat was now under Pakatan Harapan (PH), which comprises PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah.
“Since PSM was given way to run in Sungai Siput under the PKR logo, it should allow space for negotiations to reduce the chances of overlapping seat contests with PH,” Rafizi told FMT at the Invoke Malaysia office here today.
The Pandan MP said this in commenting on PSM’s reported intention to vie for Sungai Siput under its own ticket in GE14.
Jeyakumar was reported earlier today as saying that PKR had asked him to defend the seat for a fourth consecutive term under its banner a few months ago.
He also said PSM was never given a chance by the other opposition parties to prove its worth, adding that they were never invited to take part in discussions when the parties were mulling the formation of a new opposition coalition.
PKR information chief Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh responded by saying nothing specific concerning Jeyakumar’s candidacy in Sungai Siput had been discussed.
Yesterday, Perak DAP chief Nga Kor Ming said DAP would be fielding its own candidate in the constituency.
“In view of PSM’s unilateral decision to contest in DAP-held seats, PH will contest in Sungai Siput,” he said.
Rafizi however said opposition parties would be in a difficult situation if an understanding between PSM and PH parties was not achieved over seat allocations.
He said PSM should consider contesting other seats instead of those held by PH components.
“If they are insistent on clashing (with other opposition parties) in PH seats, then parties in PH like the DAP can be expected to criticise it over its right to be given way in Sungai Siput.”
He added that he expected a discussion between the three parties to be held in the near future.
It was previously reported that PSM intended to contest in 20 constituencies in GE14, including Sungai Siput, as well as the Semenyih, Kota Damansara and Jelapang state seats, which it contested in and lost in the last general election.
Jeyakumar, a medical doctor, first contested in Sungai Siput on a DAP ticket in 1999, before going under the PKR banner for the next three elections until 2013.
In the 1999 and 2004 elections, Jeyakumar lost his bid for the seat to long-time MIC MP and then-federal minister S Samy Vellu.
He, however, defeated Samy Vellu in 2008 and successfully defended the seat against MIC’s SK Devamany, who was a deputy minister, in 2013.