Take time to read this !

Parti Socialis Malaysia

Socialist Party of Malaysia

Introduction

Since 1991, several grassroots based organisations working with the urban and rural poor in Malaysia started to form an alliance. In 1994, they staged a massive demonstration at the heart of Kuala Lumpur surprising many people. Some news reports called it, “Malaysian workers have woken up”. The last major demonstration called by the working class in the capital city goes way back two decades ago.

In 1995, these grassroots organisation who already had their strong bases among the plantation workers, urban poor slums and industrial workers formed an alliance and together the idea to form a political party to represent the aspirations of the poor and the marginalised was mooted. The election results in 1995 hastened this process and after years of discussion and consolidations, it was finally agreed that a party with socialist ideology was imminent to liberate the masses from their current conditions.

With this in mind, the groups took more than two and the half years to draft the party’s constitution, which was ready by the end of 1997. After further consultation with the masses, on April 30th 1998, on the eve of May Day, the new party known as the Socialist party Of Malaysia was officially put for registration.

Why Socialist?

The last socialist party to exist in Malaysia, Malaysian Peoples Socialist Party (PSRM) stripped the word “socialist” from their name and constitution in 1990. The party in recent years had taken a full turn by merging with the Nationalist party, “National Justice party”.

The decision of PSRM to abandon socialism from its constitution perhaps left Malaysia for the first time without a left based political party.

The word “socialist” itself has been a taboo word similar to the word “communist” in Malaysia. When PSM launched the party in 1998 and declared the party a socialist party, many thought that we are heading for political suicide. It was a tough decision but the party strongly felt that it is time to put socialism in the right track and it is time to question all distortions and expose the evil of capitalism. PSM not only filled the vacuum in the country’s left politics, it further introduced a different brand of politics.

PSM’s Strength

PSM has only been around since 1998 but its working experience with the masses goes back more than twenty years. Over the years, the party’s three main front organisations, Alaigal, Community Development Centre (CDC) and Suara Warga Pertiwi (SWP), established more than a hundred sub-fronts. PSM’s strength lies in its work done with the masses especially plantation workers, the urban poor, industrial workers and peasants. The party also collaborates with progressive student movements.

PSM remains today the only party in Malaysia highlighting the plight of the poor from low wages and forceful eviction to retrenchment. The party has also made inroads in organising unions in the last few years. While civil and political protest are carried out by the mainstream political parties, PSM continues to support and organise pickets, strike and demonstration among the working class.

PSM’s Legal Status

The Malaysian State has refused to recognise PSM. The ruling party has rejected the party’s application to register as a political party citing that PSM is a threat to National Security. While PSM’s activities have been transparent and open confrontation, the ruling party seems uneasy to see a socialist party in its backyard.

The right to form a political party is a constitutional right and PSM became the first party in Malaysia’s history to take the ruling party and the Home Minister to court for abusing their power. In early 2003, The KL High Court rejected PSM’s application and said that the court cannot question the Minister’s view with regards to National Security. The party has now appealed to the Appeals Court.

The state’s harsh treatment to PSM is a problem but the Party continues to function and carry out its program.

Democratic Space

PSM has also in its congress decided that the party will have minimum program with other parties in the struggle to topple the corrupted ruling National Front Party. Nevertheless the party has been very cautious and has decided not to become part of the Alternative front, which is dominated by the Islamic and nationalist party. PSM is committed to a secular state and equality for all. Because of its uncompromising stand on this, PSM remains isolated in its National agenda.

Elections

In 1999, the party contested for the first time in the general election. The main intention was to popularise the party. The party lost in its seat but managed to reduce the opponent’s majority by 10,000 votes. In 2004, the party contested in four seats and managed to secure around 35 to 40% of votes. The party will continue to use elections to popularize the party as well as use it to educate the people and expose issues which concerns the masses.

The Step Forward

The party is convinced and committed to the class struggle and will continue to propagate class politics, going against the normal nouns of communal and religious politics practiced in Malaysia. The party will work towards empowering the masses and liberating them from the crunches of capitalism. In order for that, the party will have to work very hard among the industrial workers and PSM is destined to do that.

While PSM is committed to the analysis of Marxism, the party will have an open policy as far as left tendencies are concerned. PSM will continue to open its doors for criticism and differing views among the left. At the end of the day, we want our people to be treated with human dignity and enjoy the fruit of their labor.

Long Live Socialism!
Workers of the World Unite!

S. Arutchelvan
Secretary General