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Government recognises Socialist Party after 10-year court battle
Malaysia Kini - June 19, 2008
The government has given a rare green light to the creation of a new political party, with the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) winning recognition after a decade-long battle.
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said he last week gave his approval to the party, which was once deemed a threat to national security and had to fight through the courts for legal registration.
"We consider it is appropriate that it be given an opportunity," Syed Hamid told reporters, adding it must now show it can comply with registration requirements.
"When I look at the application, so long as they want to be a national party, that they are represented nationally, and comply with the law it is alright," he said. "The only party we will not register is the communist party."
PSM's secretary-general S. Arutchelvan said that recognition was long overdue and was also an indication the government was more reform-minded since a drubbing in March general elections.
'Ridiculous'
He said the party's legal status was "ridiculous" as it was frequently invited to government functions, had won police permits for public events and had two lawmakers elected under another opposition party's banner.
"But until we get the licence in hand we will still be cautious, and not be over-confident, because the political situation is not stable currently," he said, referring to calls for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to quit.
"Based on the current situation, I think the government is trying to bring about some reforms because they finally acknowledge that the people are quite fed up," he said. "But whether this is something permanent or temporary has yet to be seen."
No decision yet on joining Pakatan PSM is aligned with the Pakatan Rakyat ("Peoples Front) opposition led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, but Arutchelvan said it had not decided whether to formally join the alliance.
James Chin, political science professor at Malaysia's Monash University, said that Anwar's PKR was the last to register in 1999.
"Normally to register an opposition party in Malaysia is almost impossible," he said. "The government understands that the people are asking for a more plural democratic political system," he said of the March polls which handed the opposition a third of parliamentary seats in an unprecedented result.
PSM promotes the interests of the urban and rural poor, including farmers and factory workers. It has joined with other opposition parties to protest against rising prices of food and fuel.
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