PRM to stay out of Skudai to give DAP a better chance

Saturday February 23, 2008

PRM to stay out of Skudai to give DAP a better chance

JOHOR BARU: Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) will not contest the Skudai state seat to prove its sincerity in not spoiling DAP's chances in the elections.

Secretary-general S.K. Song said the move also proved that he had not been taking money from Barisan Nasional to “sabotage” DAP by fielding candidates in seats they were contesting.

“I hope that state DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau will win in Skudai,” he said, adding that PRM would also help DAP win.

Song said the decision was made after a meeting among opposition parties on Thursday which also reached a consensus that PAS be allowed to contest the Permas state seat and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.

However, Song announced that he would contest the Stulang state seat.

“I am confident of winning 51% of the votes.

“I was born in Johor Baru and I want to contest there,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

On state DAP vice chairman Norman Fernandez's request that PRM not contest in Stulang, Song said DAP had no right to make such a demand.

“They say that if I stay out, they have a better chance but I can also ask them to stay out,” he said.

Song also announced that PRM national chairman Hassan Karim would contest the Johor Baru parliamentary seat while the party’s state committee member Nasir AB Wahab would vie for the Johor Jaya state seat.

On Thursday, Fernandez issued a statement slamming PRM for sabotaging DAP’s chances in the Stulang and Skudai state seats by putting candidates there.

Fernandez said yesterday he was happy with PRM's decision.