PSM deputy chairman S Arutchelvan said the party’s candidate would offer voters a third choice instead of just choosing a candidate from Perikatan Nasional or Barisan Nasional.
“Our presence in the election, as stated in our announcement, is to make this by-election not a contest between which is the better Malay-Muslim party but rather which is the better party for harmony.
“Our presence and the issues we raise will help amplify the voices of the people, address sector-specific concerns and highlight critical matters such as housing and healthcare. This can definitely help reduce polarisation,” he said in a statement.
Arutchelvan noted they were constantly reminded that Chinese voters would not support PAS due to the green wave narrative. However, he questioned whether this automatically made Umno-BN the “lesser of two evils”.
He said the Chinese voters would now have a third option.
Earlier today, FMT quoted analysts as saying that PSM would likely fare poorly if it contested in the upcoming Ayer Kuning polls despite having Muda’s backing and the presence of a good electoral mix in the constituency.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said PSM-Muda would not be able to offer much of a challenge to the three coalitions currently dominating the political landscape – BN, PN, and Pakatan Harapan.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia expects the aspiring PSM candidate to lose his deposit, saying neither the party nor Muda has any conventional source of support in the constituency.
Fauzi also said PSM was eyeing the seat because of the sizeable Indian community present in Ayer Kuning.
Arutchelvan responded by pointing out that the party contested the Ayer Kuning seat in the 2022 state election despite knowing that it was a Malay-majority seat.
“But if the Indians are unhappy with the Madani government and want to vote for us, why not? If people want to use their protest vote in this election, we are offering them a credible choice,” he added.
“On the larger issue, people need to imagine how the Perak state assembly will be with an additional Umno or the alternative PAS candidate. What issues will they articulate?”
Arutchelvan said only a candidate whose politics went beyond race and religion would be able to raise issues – such as deforestation, flooding, Orang Asli rights and the plight of evicted farmers – effectively in the Perak state assembly.