The Malaysian Insight

BATU MP P. Prabakaran said he will not vacate his parliamentary seat even if he is paid RM1 million, amid support for former incumbent Chua Tian Chang, more commonly known as Tian Chua, to return to the federal territory constituency.

The youngest MP in the current session of Parliament said he would not be moved if such an offer was made, because he had already turned down that sum of money when pressured to withdraw from contesting the seat in the 14th general election last year.

“I have been given the mandate by voters in this parliamentary constituency, and so even if I’m offered RM1 million, I still have to answer to my constituents.

“When I contested as an independent last year, I was offered RM1 million to pull put, so if I bow to pressure to vacate the seat now, what will that say about my principles?” the 23-year-old PKR lawmaker said in an interview with Sinar Harian that was broadcast on social media.

He said one should never enter politics for the money.

“I made the decision to contest for elections to help the people. If I was thinking about money, I would have quit already,” Prabakaran added.

In GE14 last year, the former law student was supported by PKR incumbent Tian Chua was barred from contesting because of a court conviction. After winning, Prabakaran joined PKR.

The High Court on November 6 ruled that the Election Commission had erred in preventing Chua from defending his seat and pronounced the PKR vice-president eligible to contest in elections.

Since then, Prabakaran has been under pressure by some groups to vacate the seat and let Chua contest the ensuing by-election.

Fourteen local civil society groups in Batu have urged him to give way. Recently, his Toyota Vellfire was pelted with eggs by unknown assailants.

Prabakaran is also facing fire from within PKR, with sources leaking allegations that the young lawmaker had spent the bulk of his MP’s allocation of RM1.5 million too fast, too soon.

A source from Prabakaran’s office has said the spending was entirely legitimate, directed at development for Batu, as well as on schools and the poor in the constituency.

In the past few days, Prabakaran has reiterated he will not resign as MP. He also said he had never once been pressured by Chua to give way.

He told the Sinar Harian interviewer today that he was not thinking about the next general election yet.

“Let me focus on my duties and responsibilities, and let voters evaluate me themselves. It will also depend on the party leadership.

Chua, who was the Batu MP for two terms from 2008 until last year, has distanced himself from the calls for Prabakaran to resign. – November 19, 2019.