BAWANI KS NOMINATED AS PSM CANDIDATE FOR AYER KUNING BY-ELECTION

KAMPAR, April 8 (Bernama) -- Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) deputy secretary-general Bawani KS has once again been selected as the party's candidate for the Ayer Kuning state by-election on April 26.

Her selection was announced by PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj at the Ayer Kuning PSM Operations Room here today.

According to Bawani, this is her second time contesting the seat and she will use her advantage as a native of Ayer Kuning to garner votes.

Admitting that PSM does not have a large allocation like the opposing parties, she said that this is not an obstacle for them to contribute to the community, especially in the state constituency.

"We are not a new party, as we have existed for more than 30 years. So, I think the purpose of our contesting is to offer alternatives and ensure that the voices and problems brought by the people are heard more," she said at a press conference after the announcement.

Meanwhile, PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan denied that the party's purpose in contesting the by-election was to split votes.

He said the allegation should not have arisen since PSM does not have a large financial allocation to hold various events or programmes to attract votes from residents in the Ayer Kuning constituency.

The Ayer Kuning state by-election was held following the death of its incumbent, Ishsam Shahruddin, 59, after collapsing due to a heart attack while attending a football match in Penang on February 22.

The Election Commission (EC) has set the nomination and early voting days for April 12 and April 22 respectively, while April 26 is polling day.

In GE15, Ishsam representing BN won with a majority of 2,213 votes after obtaining 9,088 votes in a five-cornered contest, ahead of the candidates of Pakatan Harapan (6,875), Perikatan Nasional (6,812), Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (105) and PSM (586).

-- BERNAMA