KUANTAN: People’s Progressive Party (MyPPP) president Tan Sri M. Kayveas will be meeting MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam as early as next week to iron out matters concerning the Cameron Highlands parliamentary constituency in the upcoming 14th General Election (GE14).
Kayveas said he had held a meeting with Dr Subramaniam some time ago but there has been no progress, and instead several statements have been made.
He said he is hoping for another meeting to discuss further on which party will be contesting the seat.
"I will arrange a meeting with Subramaniam next week to discuss the matter. There is no problem between the both of us, it is only concerning the Cameron Highlands parliamentary constituency seat. It is my responsibility as MyPPP president to meet him (Dr Subramaniam) and see what we can do.
"I want to inform him that I have been serving the constituency for a long time (since 2015) after (Datuk Seri) G. Palanivel (former MIC president) left the seat vacant.
"Maybe we can swap seats or look into other suggestions, but if MIC decides to be adamant then let Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (Barisan Nasional chairman) decide (on the matter)," he said after attending SMK St Thomas' graduation and charity dinner here last night.
Kayveas claimed he has been working the ground in Cameron Highlands for almost three years now and that he is popular among the voters, including the Chinese and Orang Asli community.
"MIC can say whatever they want (regarding traditional MIC seat) as when the constituency did not have a BN representative (after Palanivel was sacked from MIC), I went there to serve the people on Jan 15, 2015.
"I met the chairman (Najib) who told me to go and work, saying later we will do a study on whom the voters prefer to be their candidate.
"I went down to the Chinese settlements, Orang Asli villages, visited all 28 schools there and made necessary arrangement when they required any assistance.
"The voters are comfortable with MyPPP as they realise that I can work and deliver promises but it is up to BN to have the final say," he said, adding that MyPPP has registered around 5,000 new voters in the constituency through its various initiatives.
On MyPPP's poor performance in the previous two general elections, Kayveas said it is unfair to solely blame the party as they were contesting in seats with hardcore opposition supporters.
"Penang Chief Minister's (Lim Guan Eng) wife, Betty Chew contested in the Kota Laksamana state seat in Melaka, and we know the seat cannot be won from day one as 99 percent of the voters are DAP supporters. Same goes to Kepong parliamentarian (Dr) Tan Seng Giaw where majority of the voters are hardcore DAP and MyPPP cannot win.
"Even if other candidates contested the seats it will be impossible for them to win but MyPPP accepted the seats to ensure there will be a contest but you cannot use that to judge our performance.
"It has to be a level playing field but I am confident about Cameron Highlands because it is my hometown," he said.
The tug of war for the Cameron Highlands seat began in September when Kayveas announced that he will contest the seat either under the BN ticket or by fielding himself as an independent candidate in the GE14.
Pahang MIC chairman Datuk R. Goonasakaren described Kayveas's aim as “absurd” as Cameron Highlands has been a traditional MIC seat and that only Najib and Subramaniam can decide who to contest in the seat.
Palanivel, who is no longer an MIC member, won the parliamentary seat in the 13th General Election with a majority of 462 votes.