JOHOR BARU: Contesting in only one seat would not stop Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) from achieving its aim to bring the voice of the people to the state assembly, says party secretary-general A. Sivarajan.

       He said that previously, the party was able to bring new ideas to the table despite only having one assemblyman or MP.

       "We have experience in having only one representative in the Parliament or state assembly.

       "Our president Dr D. Jeyakumar was the party's sole representative in Parliament between 2008 and 2018 during his stint as the Sungai Siput MP. However, he was still able to bring forward important proposals to the Parliament.

       "Similarly, our former president Mohd Nasir Hashim was the only PSM member in the Selangor state assembly when he was the Kota Damansara assemblyman. He too was able to carry forward the party's aspiration. The same can be done here," Sivarajan said.

       He said this in a press conference during the launch of the party's manifesto for the Johor state election in Kangkar Pulai here on Sunday (Feb 27).

       Also present was Dr Jeyakumar and the party's candidate for the Kota Iskandar seat R. Arangkannal.

       Asked why the Kota Iskandar state seat was chosen for the party's debut in Johor, Dr Jeyakumar said that it was due to their long time presence in the area.

       "PSM has been in the Kota Iskandar area for over 15 years, the people here know us and we are also aware of the problems they face on the ground.

       "We do not want to be contesting in areas where we have yet to have any history of doing work for the people. Hence, we choose to contest in only one seat," he said.

       Meanwhile, Arangkannal said that the three main areas in the manifesto he aims to fulfil upon winning the seat were to provide more job opportunities, more affordable houses and to help reduce the price of goods.

       "No doubt it will be a huge challenge for us as we will be facing big parties. However, I believe we will be able to handle it if the people could give us a chance," he said.

       Arangkannal will be facing a four-cornered fight against Pandak Ahmad (Umno), Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (Parti Amanah Negara), who is also the Kota Iskandar incumbent assemblyman, and Dr Zaini Abu Bakar (Parti Pejuang Tanah Air).