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International Women's Day statement: Liberation, equality and freedom
Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) Statement - March 8, 2012
This year is the 101 year we are celebrating International Women's Day. Thanks to our leftist and progressive comrades who proposed such an idea, back in 1910. The United Nations theme for the Women's Day celebration this year is 'Empower Rural Women - End Hunger and Poverty'.
While it is true that majority of our rural women especially in East Malaysia are living in poverty, the urban women too are deeply distressed with their low income jobs, lack of social security, discrimination at work place and home, long work hours, lack of child care facilities at work place and the list could go on. The women are further burdened with the government's neo liberal policies which led to privatisation of all basic needs that keeps the cost of living high. There are still many girls and women out there, both in rural and urban who are illiterate.
No doubt, there has been many remarkable progress and advancement among Malaysian women in self advancement and capitalism did contribute to that but as a working class, we are still the oppressed class.
One good example, is the 14 years struggle by Guppy Union which was led entirely by women workers. The fought to get recognition status for their union and ended up being victimised by their employer Guppy Plastic Industries. Three of these women leader recently lost their case in the Appeals Court that endorses the union busting bosses. Also the struggle of 9 women workers from the same company who are fighting a 10 years legal battle against their employer's discriminative policy of forcing women to retire at 50 while the men at 55. Existing laws are not favouring the workers – it was created for the oppressors!
Given the current belligerent trends against women's right in this country - the struggle of women's liberation in Malaysia seems to be more and more distant. Every day we still hear of our women being exploited, denied land rights, sexually harassed, raped and murdered. PSM is still seeking justice for the women who were harassed last year during the arrest of the PSM30. While we have lodged many reports, nobody has been charged.
In order to go forward, in connecting our young generation and in inspiring our futures to win this struggle of liberation, we need to learn of those triumphs that were won over the years by our foremothers. We need to learn the lesson of history that taught us to build a women's liberation movement that is inclusive, active and unbending in its quest of equality, justice and freedom for women.
We must remember that the struggle for women's liberation is not only a struggle of women against the embedded patriarchy system but also a struggle against the oppression of class society.
Strategies must therefore be developed to build coalitions with other oppressed groups so that we may educate each other about our different or similar experiences of oppression and strengthened the link which brings us together to fight for an end to class society and discrimination.
We must also strongly demand for the construction of society in which everyone has the same life choices and opportunities irrespective of race, religion, class, gender and sex.
We believe that the only movement that can defend and extend women's rights and fully liberate women, is a mass movement – a movement that address the needs,demands and aspirations of the majority of women and men.
Happy women day!
Released by
Nazreen Nizam
PSM Women Desk Coordinator
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