While others are not stating their stand, Selangor Gerakan is hoping that Manoharan would not quit his post, so says its  chief Deputy Minister Kohilan  Pillay.  However, Gerakan would contest if he quits say Kohilan. He says its the Pakatan leaders fault for not offering enough support to Manoharan’s wife in managing the constituency:

Its chief, A. Kohilan Pillay, said Manoharan should see his term out and blamed Pakatan Rakyat for the Internal Security Act detainee’s frustrations.

“Voters there knew what they were getting into when they voted for him. We want him to continue, as the voters decided on him.”

Kohilan said Manoharan’s problems could be solved if Pakatan Rakyat offered more support to Manoharan’s wife, S. Pusphaneela, who is acting for him in his absence.

“Pakatan Rakyat members should deliver. Where is the team spirit? I don’t think they are doing enough to help her.”

However, he said Gerakan would contest the seat if Manoharan resigned.

“We are not urging him to stay because we are afraid of a by-election. But if he decides to quit, we will field a candidate.”

Anyway, Manoharan is expected to make a decision after talking to Karpal Singh on 19th May.

Earlier, he issued a statement, which was read out by his wife:

I once again take this opportunity to thank the voters of Kota Alam Shah in having voted me in as Kota Alam Shah Adun (state representative). Despite having not met me in person, over 12,699 voters voted for me on March 8, 2008, with a majority of 7,184 votes over and above the BN candidate.

I apologise to my constituents for being unable to serve personally due to my detention without trial under the ISA. I must thank my constituents for their patience over the past 14 months. The constituents’ patience and support has kept me going in Kamunting prison thus far.

But the fact remains that over the last 14 months, I have not been able to effectively serve the public, in particular the constituents of Kota Alam Shah.

I feel a sense of guilt of being unable to serve the voters who have voted me as their representative in the Selangor state assembly. I feel I am being unfair to my constituents thus far.

I now have to consider resigning as a Selangor state assemblyman for Kota Alam Shah paving the way for a by-election in order for my constituents to re-elect their new representative who will be better able to serve them, and who will be able to physically attend all the sittings of the Selangor state legislative assembly and matters arriving therefrom.

I wish to convey to all, in particular to my constituents, that during the last 17 months of my detention in Kamunting prison, I tried my very best in appealing to the authorities and by way of applications to call for my freedom in order for me to effectively serve the public and my constituents in particular. I have exhausted all avenues for my release.

I have written a letter to ex-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, three letters to now Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, eight letters to former home minister Syed Hamid Albar, and two letters to Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.

Also my applications to the home minister for me to attend the state assembly sittings have all been rejected and I was forced to apply for leave from the home minister.

Further, I have also attended the sittings before the ISA advisory board and all three sittings of the panel members have rejected my pleas for my release.

The High Court of Malaya have dismissed my three habeas corpus application. The Federal Court have dismissed all the three appeals from the High Court.

So all the efforts have been to no avail.

I am very disappointed that despite the 12,699 voters of Kota Alam Shah having voted to show that I have never ever been a threat to national security, the home minister defied the voice of the people and the democratic voice of these voters.

My 17 months of detention thus far have been very painful, which has been made worse by me being in the state of helplessness in being unable to serve my constituents.

As such, I hereby wish to inform that I will announce my official decision after meeting my party chairman Karpal Singh, who will be meeting me in Kamunting prison on May 19, 2009.

M Manoharan
ISA detainee and Kota Alam Shah state assemblyperson

Before that, everyone, including his wife, was surprised when Malaysiakini broke the news of Manoharan thinking of resigning. I wonder how the others can know before the own wife know about it. Strange world indeed.

Pushpaneela said he did not mention anything when she meet him more than two weeks ago:

In dismissing a Malaysiakini report yesterday, Manoharan’s wife, S. Pushpaneela said she was shocked with the report as her husband did not say anything about quitting when she met him two weeks ago.

Lawyer Manoharan, who was also a leader of the banned Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) movement, is being detained at the Kamunting prison under the Internal Security Act.

“I am shocked. I met him two weeks ago and he was in good spirits.

“He did not say anything about this. I am meeting him again tomorrow and will be in a better position to comment after that.”

Pushpaneela said the report came as a shock as in recent weeks,  she had expanded the Kota Alam Shah state assembly service centre.

“I had taken in more people to help me run the centre,” said Pushpaneela, who acts as Manoharan’s representative to the voters.

Selangor executive councillor Ronnie Liew also denied the Malaysiakini report.

“The report said that Pushpaneela was under a lot of pressure from constituency work, but this is not the case.”

Malaysiakini in its report quoting a source close to Manoharan, had said that the detained lawyer wanted out as he was growing frustrated over his inability to serve voters.

Pushpaneela revealed later that she can only do so much by being a representative of the assemblyman:

Between being the breadwinner of her family and replacing Manoharan as the state assemblyperson, Pushpaneela, however, conceded that her contributions in the constituency is still unsatisfactory.

Even though she had acted on behalf of her husband for the past 14 months, she said that she still “can’t bring the constituents grievances to the state assembly”.

“I can do as much as I can in the constituency, but I cannot attend the state assembly sitting. As a state representative, you need to bring their grievances to the august House but these people have been denied (this),” she said.

Despite the hardest decision that her husband has to make, the mother of four children however said that Manoharan was “in good spirit”.

“But he just feels very guilty … the people only saw his posters and not him in person. He tried his best to be out (of prison) to serve them … but he can’t even attend the assembly sitting,” said Puspaneela.

She also said that Manoharan had been thinking about resigning for last few months.