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SOCIALIST PARTY OF MALAYSIA (SPM) DECLARES ITS INTENTION TO CONTEST IN THE TENTH NATIONAL GENERAL ELECTION

INTRODUCTION
We, the Socialist Party of Malaysia having considered the options of the people and with full responsibility and accountability, wishes to offer its services to contest in the coming general election.

Our involvement (in various capacities) towards the plights of our people has gone on for more than twenty years. This involves workers problems in the various plantation, industrial, business, construction and service sectors which includes the problems of housing, urban pioneers (‘squatters’), health, formation of workers union, hawkers, intimidation, victimization etc. We have been consistent in exposing the conspiracies leading to neglect, abuses and exploitation of workers by those in power and wealth.

PEOPLE ARE WORKERS
For us, the majority of our people who are productive are workers in every sense of the word and the unproductive groups such as children, youth, physically disabled and the aged depend on these workers for their livelihood. As such we believe that as long as a person works by utilizing the tools and technology of their employer and given wages or other remunerations to compensate for their labour power, then this person is considered a worker. Although they may be classified as the various echelons of workers or professionals but they are workers by definition. They may have psychological hang-ups of grandeur due to the various capitalist indoctrinations, buffers and baits resulting in the illusion that one day they will be as powerful and as wealthy as the capitalists. Thus, such elusive desire or greed make people believe that we now have a big middle class and a very small working class and therefore makes socialism obsolete or redundant. They also believe that the antagonistic nature of class relations between workers and capitalists do not exist anymore. This is another variant of the maligned illusion that will continue to torment the ignorant souls trapped by the world of consumerism and fatalism of the capitalist system.

THIS CAPITALIST SYSTEM BREEDS DESTRUCTION
We are of the opinion that the various efforts in trying to address past and present issues are sterile and ineffective simply because they are based on ‘curing the symptoms but not the disease itself’. In short, we try to overcome the symptoms of capitalism (such as nepotism, cronyism, corruption, dictatorial tendencies, exploitation and abuses of power that destroy humanity and its environment) but shamefully, we no longer question the capitalist system itself that continue to breed destruction and untold miseries. As such, we succumbed to this capitalist mould and regard such intrusion as being the natural law of the universe or the natural instinct for survival. Socialists challenge such warped presumptions. As long as we refuse to question and shake-up this capitalist system, we are doomed to live a life of make-believe and hypocrisy that deems the inhabitants to worship whosoever that can provide a meager material benefit.

SOCIALIST IDEALS
Socialists wishes to be with the people in their effort to create an environment conducive for humanity to seek its rightful place, that is, to become the crux or fulcrum to the overall national development. This new environment will naturally nurture the glory and sanctity of democracy, freedom and justice. We will surely cooperate (minimal program or otherwise) symbiotically or complementarily with those in line with our socialist ideology.

WHY ARE WE CONTESTING ?
1. We fully realize that issues and aspirations of our people cannot be separated from their political struggle in line with the saying, ‘human is a social and political being’. Despite the fact that our people are constantly confronted with social and economic problems, but the solution remains at the political level. After many years of involvement in the people’s struggle for political direction and consciousness, we in the socialist party have reached a stage of maturity, a turning point, that is, to enter the political arena and chart the destiny of the country where equality must be the guiding force of the future. In short equality is synonymous with socialism and in the name of our people all options must be scrutinized and optimized for optimal political gains.

2. We have gone through various challenging experiences and hardships in our struggle with our people to uproot exploitation. The perpetual problems in society stem from the conspiracies and the abuses of power of political leaders, government agencies, police, developers, employers, judiciary and others. We fully realize that if we do not question the draconian laws passed by the parliament we will forever be the victims or the brunt for such abusive laws. As such we want the opportunity to voice out the plights of our people and move the parliament and state legislation to act upon unresolved basic issues that undermine our people.

In the meantime, our level of struggle will continue to grow with the changing times and experiences. As such our option to participate in the election is one of our many efforts to effectively seek remedies for our people no matter how temporary that might be.

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIALIST PARTY OF MALAYSIA
Our struggle to confront exploitation at all levels of our society has been a fruitful and humble one. We seek consent from our people not based upon our rhetoric skills but on the kind of work we do. At times, the authorities detained and charged us in courts for our determination to expose and question legalized violence and abuses in high places. For sure, we do not succumb to the on-going maneuvers relating to race and religion. We will continue to address such issues not based upon baiting for vote-getting but to demystify them and to expose those who manipulate them and for what purpose.

We strongly believe that the poor are our assets and they are the backbone of our national economy. As such their welfare must be our main agenda for development and that opportunities be given so that they can achieve their full potentials and the dignity to be independent human beings.

As socialist, we are proud of our racial, cultural and religious heritage and our special strength is unity through diversity. We are not averse to change for this is the essence of socialism. Thus we continue to seek the dialectical and dynamic relationships in our society to push us to a greater level of conscientization and struggle. Since our priority is welfare of our people, as such, we have never been afraid to take a big step back to ensure more room for our people to grow and be independent.

We are confident in our endeavours , fully committed to people’s struggle and believe in strong principles and respect for each other. We do not condone any form of exploitation in all levels of society irrespective of race, religion or creed and we are noted for of dragging anybody to courts or anywhere else when they betray the people. If all else fail, then we go to the streets to let the world know of our problems.

WE NEED SUPPORT
Although we are a growing party that is never short of commitment, strong principles and far-sightedness, but we do lack in funds and work force to cater for our on-going logistic problems. As such we are taking this opportunity to appeal in all sincerity, to the concerned public, to help us raise more funds so that we can be more effective in fighting for the rights of our people at the highest level. Ever since we started work in various communities for the past 20 years, we continue to maintain a clean record and rest be assured that we will continue to uphold such socialist virtues in the near future.

We as socialists, truly find great satisfaction when our people get equitable share of the nation’s wealth; able to nurture their full potentials, and are not victimized and exploited by any quarters. Our socialist pledge is simple. As long as systems of exploitation exist in society, socialists will continue to grow to challenge and overthrow such debilitating systems. These debilitating systems are destructive to the society for they behave like the parasitic malignant tumours that destroys the body that feeds it and eventually succumb to their own self-destruction.

Dr. Mohd. Nasir Hashim
Protem Chairman
Socialist Party of Malaysia
5th. November 1999