Parti Sosialis Malaysia
Encyclopedia
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM, Socialist Party of Malaysia), is a socialist political party in Malaysia and an offshoot of Parti Rakyat Malaysia
, which originally upheld the same ideology. In its first ten years following its founding in 1998, the party was denied registration as a political party by the Federal Government of Malaysia. The original reason given was that PSM is a threat to national security. However, the Home Ministry gave them the green light in June 2008.
As of 1 November 2009, the party has one seat in the Dewan Rakyat
, the Sungei Siput seat, which its candidate Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
won under the banner of Parti Keadilan Rakyat
.
in 1990 before merging with Parti Keadilan Rakyat
in 2003.
based organizations 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. The last major demonstration called by the working class in the capital city goes way back two decades ago.
In 1995, these grassroots organization 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 marginalized 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 1 May 1998, the new party known as the Socialist Party of Malaysia was officially put for registration.
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. Although the Court of Appeal dismissed the national security argument on 16 August 2006, which the court felt was a bad reason, it upheld another reason to deny PSM the right to be registered. This was that the party did not comply with a seven state regulation. PSM has filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal decision to the Federal Court
.
On 17 June 2008, the Home Ministry approved PSM's application as a political party, ending a 10-year dispute.
. Since PSM was not registered, it had to contest under some other party's logo. In 1999, the candidates contested under a Democratic Action Party
's (DAP) ticket. 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 the 2004 general election
, PSM had to contest on the logo of another party, Parti Keadilan Nasional (now known as Parti Keadilan Rakyat
).
under the Keadilan ticket, and one as an independent. Two of these candidates won PSM's first ever political seats. Candidate Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
won PSM's first ever federal parliamentary
seat by defeating then president of Malaysian Indian Congress and long-serving Minister of Works Samy Vellu
. PSM's president Nasir Hashim won a seat in the Selangor state legislative assembly. Their election campaigning also resulted in an increase in membership in Semenyih
.
(MNS), PSM's Nasir Hashim led the delegation in talks with Selangor's newly appointed State Exco for Environmental Affairs, Elizabeth Wong to gazette the Kota Damansara
forest.
s, the Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement
(FTA) and patents.
rally by PSM committee member, Kumar Devaraj, in which he wrote that class-based mobilisation should be used instead of ethnic-based mobilisation to rally the oppressed.
Parti Rakyat Malaysia
The Parti Rakyat Malaysia is a democratic socialist political party in Malaysia. Established on November 11, 1955 as Partai Ra'ayat, it is one of the older political parties in Malaysia and traces its pedigree to the anti-colonial movements from the pre World War II period like the Kesatuan Melayu...
, which originally upheld the same ideology. In its first ten years following its founding in 1998, the party was denied registration as a political party by the Federal Government of Malaysia. The original reason given was that PSM is a threat to national security. However, the Home Ministry gave them the green light in June 2008.
As of 1 November 2009, the party has one seat in the Dewan Rakyat
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
, the Sungei Siput seat, which its candidate Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj is a Malaysian politician and is the current Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Sungai Siput constituency in Perak....
won under the banner of Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
.
The end of PSRM (1990)
The last socialist party to exist in Malaysia, Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM), reverted their name to Parti Rakyat MalaysiaParti Rakyat Malaysia
The Parti Rakyat Malaysia is a democratic socialist political party in Malaysia. Established on November 11, 1955 as Partai Ra'ayat, it is one of the older political parties in Malaysia and traces its pedigree to the anti-colonial movements from the pre World War II period like the Kesatuan Melayu...
in 1990 before merging with Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
in 2003.
Formation of PSM (1990–1998)
In 1991, several grassrootsGrassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
based organizations working with the urban and rural poor in Malaysia started to form an alliance. In 1994, they staged a massive demonstration
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
at the heart of Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
surprising many people. The last major demonstration called by the working class in the capital city goes way back two decades ago.
In 1995, these grassroots organization who already had their strong bases among the plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
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 marginalized 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 1 May 1998, the new party known as the Socialist Party of Malaysia was officially put for registration.
Legal status
The Federal Government has refused to recognise PSM since its formation. 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 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. Although the Court of Appeal dismissed the national security argument on 16 August 2006, which the court felt was a bad reason, it upheld another reason to deny PSM the right to be registered. This was that the party did not comply with a seven state regulation. PSM has filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal decision to the Federal Court
Federal Court of Malaysia
The Federal Court of Malaysia is the highest court and the final appellate court in Malaysia. It is housed in the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya...
.
On 17 June 2008, the Home Ministry approved PSM's application as a political party, ending a 10-year dispute.
1999 general election
In 1999, the party decided to contest in the year's general electionMalaysian general election, 1999
The 1999 Malaysian General Election was held on 29 November 1999 as stipulated by the laws of Malaysia for general elections. As expected, the Barisan Nasional coalition maintained its majority in parliament, and thus, its grip on the post of Prime Minister....
. Since PSM was not registered, it had to contest under some other party's logo. In 1999, the candidates contested under a Democratic Action Party
Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
's (DAP) ticket. 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.
2004 general election
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
, PSM had to contest on the logo of another party, Parti Keadilan Nasional (now known as Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
).
2008 general election
Three PSM members contested in the 2008 general electionMalaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
under the Keadilan ticket, and one as an independent. Two of these candidates won PSM's first ever political seats. Candidate Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj
Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj is a Malaysian politician and is the current Member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Sungai Siput constituency in Perak....
won PSM's first ever federal parliamentary
Parliament of Malaysia
The Parliament of Malaysia is the national legislature of Malaysia, based on the Westminster system. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The King as the Head of State is the third component of Parliament....
seat by defeating then president of Malaysian Indian Congress and long-serving Minister of Works Samy Vellu
Samy Vellu
Dato' Seri Samy Vellu Sangalimuthu is an Indian Malaysian politician. He is the longest serving President of the Malaysian Indian Congress , a component party of the Barisan Nasional coalition, holding the position since 1979, for 11 consecutive terms...
. PSM's president Nasir Hashim won a seat in the Selangor state legislative assembly. Their election campaigning also resulted in an increase in membership in Semenyih
Semenyih
Semenyih is a small town in Selangor, Malaysia, about 8 km southeast of Kajang along the Kajang-Seremban road. The meaning of the name of the town is not certain...
.
Ideology
According to their official website, PSM is only eight years old but has working experience with the masses that goes back more than fifteen years. Over the years, the party's three main front organizations had established more than a hundred sub-fronts. PSM strength lies in its work done with the masses especially the plantation workers, the urban poor, the Industrial workers and the peasants. The party also collaborates with the progressive student movement. PSM remain today perhaps the only party in Malaysia taking a class line and highlighting the plight of the poor from low wages, forceful eviction to retrenchment. The party has also made some inroads into organising union in the last two year and have working committees in around 50 factories throughout the country. While civil and political protest are carried out by the main stream political parties, PSM continues to support and organise pickets, strike and demonstration among the working class.Seven-Point Manifesto
PSM has a seven-point manifesto which lists the following policies:- Workers' rights will be safeguarded (e.g. minimum wage, automatic recognition of workers unions and 90 day maternal leave).
- The eradication of neo-liberal policies (e.g. halting privatisation of health care, education and other public necessities).
- Stopping the Free Trade Agreement with western imperial powers.
- Provide comfortable and humane housing for both rural and urban inhabitants.
- Stopping racial and religious politics to foster greater unity among the people.
- Eradication of corruption and abuse of power.
- Stopping the destruction of the environment.
Environment
On 1 April 2008, accompanied by Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD) and Malaysian Nature SocietyMalaysian Nature Society
Malaysian Nature Society is the oldest and one of the most prominent environmental not for profit, non-governmental organizations in Malaysia. It was first established, as the Malayan Nature Society, with the launch of the Malayan Nature Journal, in 1940...
(MNS), PSM's Nasir Hashim led the delegation in talks with Selangor's newly appointed State Exco for Environmental Affairs, Elizabeth Wong to gazette the Kota Damansara
Kota Damansara
Kota Damansara is a 4,000-acre developing township located in the mukim of Sungai Buloh in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia....
forest.
Healthcare, FTA and patent laws
PSM MP, Kumar Devaraj, spoke out in April 2008 against private hospitalPrivate hospital
A private hospital is a hospital owned by a profit company or a non-profit organisation and privately funded through payment for medical services by patients themselves, by insurers, or by foreign embassies. This practice is very common in the United States and Australia...
s, the Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement
Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement
The Malaysia-US Free Trade Agreement is a proposed treaty between Malaysia and the United States of America. The treaty aims to liberalize each other markets to parties of the agreement and directly encourage trade between the two countries. As of 2005, the US is Malaysia's largest trading partner...
(FTA) and patents.
Carrefour hypermarket protest
On 15 April 2008, 100 residents led by PSM committee member and state representative, Nashir Hashim, protested against the construction of a Carrefour hypermarket in Kota Damansara.Racism and class perspectives
In January 2008, Aliran Monthly published an analysis of the HindrafHINDRAF
HINDRAF or Hindu Rights Action Force ; Chinese:兴权 with its slogan of People's Power மக்கள் சக்தி ) began as a coalition of 30 Hindu non-governmental organizations committed to the preservation of Hindu community rights and heritage in a multiracial Malaysia...
rally by PSM committee member, Kumar Devaraj, in which he wrote that class-based mobilisation should be used instead of ethnic-based mobilisation to rally the oppressed.