I refer to Tajuddin Rasdi’s article on how the Ayer Kuning by-election produced 3 winners. I agree with the premise, BN did see enough support to win the election, PN did see an increase in their vote percentage and PSM more than doubled our vote percentage. Each contesting candidate can take back something to build their movements further in the competition to gain relevance.

Let me break down what we hold on to in PSM. In the 12 years from 2013, this is our best result. From Pakatan Harapan abandoning us in 2018, we have slowly but carefully built ourselves back up to gain a foothold of our own. In 2018, our highest vote percentage was 3.52% in Sungai Siput (parliament) and 4.81% in Jelapang (state). Bawani herself managed 1.52% in Malim Nawar. Since then, we have hovered around 1-2% in every other seat we contested. Bawani got 2.5% in GE-15 and now it is 6%. We are small but emerging.

At the same time, we have seen a reorganisation of mainstream political parties. Pakatan Rakyat cut-off ties with PSM and formed Pakatan Harapan with BERSATU led by Mahathir. After winning GE-15, in a manner everyone saw coming, they were then betrayed by Bersatu who then forged alliances with Barisan Nasional and PAS to form Perikatan Nasional. PSM, putting the interest of stopping Perikatan first, extended our support to ally with Pakatan in the 2022 General Elections. After stringing us along for weeks, PH decided to cast us aside again barely a week before polls. They then won too few seats to form a government and decided to ally with Barisan Nasional.

The optimism of believing in Pakatan Harapan has faded. The masses have eyes. They see the celebration of Howard Lee with Saarani, they see Zahid Hamidi being held up by Anwar. These were the enemies PH told us of just before polls in 2022. The current government is so plainly an alliance not arising from a need to stop Perikatan, but to hold on to power.

We at PSM see the desperation of the masses and their disappointment. Yes, they still vote for BN, PH or PN, but largely not due to agreeing with them, rather for political convenience. There is no other force large enough to wrest power from these behemoths. This is where we as PSM see ourselves emerging to bring up the needs of the masses, to one day take power for the masses. In the past, we forged alliances with PH parties to defeat Barisan. Today, with PH reviving BN, we form another force to defeat them both.

However, we will do this organically. We are not desperate for power like PH who are willing to work with Mahathir or BN. We have seen how this has changed their character. We are open to alliances that make sense for our platform and program. Our interest is in crafting a political and economic system benefitting the bottom 99% of Malaysians. This means higher minimum wages, a stronger public healthcare system, truly affordable housing, stopping forced evictions and eliminating racial politics. The recent bump in votes alongside our own membership shows we are making class politics relevant in Malaysia.

We do not need a messiah like Khairy Jamaluddin for their own sake. I say this with absolutely no disrespect. However, if such individuals prove to hold our values as well, we will work with them. Parties like Pejuang and Gerakan do not fit in with our aspirations. Similarly, we do not need to shed our ideology. Socialism is what drives our members to cook three meals for volunteers, put up flags and tirelessly leaflet every day during our campaign. Shedding socialism is to shed our souls. In service of what? Power? Power for whom and to do what? We cannot stop at the methods to seize power whilst not asking who it is in service of. This is how we ended up with stagnant reforms and a government pleading with the people to wait for changes that will never come. We at PSM have far greater imagination than that.

I ask the masses not to worry about our “Indian” image. Every day we have more Malaysians of all races joining us. Unfortunately, the dismissal of our class politics as impractical stops the masses from moving away from the racial narrative. I ask the academics to be fair in your evaluation and take a longer view. When it comes to it, we are the most vocal in resisting racial and religious discrimination in politics. When we talk about segregative politics, we point out, time and again, how this is a distraction to the true winners in this system, the capitalist class. This is the path out of the utilisation of race and religion for political power. It should be everyone’s duty to popularise this narrative, not judge it in its infancy.

The fear of PN getting a walkover in GE-16 is warranted but overblown. We must recognise the right people causing this. It is PH, in its incessant “flexibility” that has given breath to Perikatan’s narrative. They revived Barisan instead of sticking to non-racial politics. With 3 parties based on race, and the largest being the biggest disrupter of racial harmony according to PH parties themselves in their historical narratives, is this not a contradiction? PN is relevant as long as PH excuses BN. We are held behind by the political ambition of certain individuals. What is the use of “holding back” PN when PH themselves are sliding into the very same politics?

PSM breaks with this. We will grow and build a Third Force away from racial narratives. We will consolidate the voices of the masses and overthrow the mainstream parties of today. We will work with whoever will build this future with us. Those political giants will watch as our Third Force grows, decrying us as vote-splitters at every stage, complaining about Perikatan, whilst we tear down their pessimism brick-by-brick. Have faith in the resolve of the masses, we have a world to win.

Arveent Kathirtchelvan 
Central Commitee
Parti Sosialis Malaysia