Terence Netto’s article - Time for PSM to admit reality (Malaysiakini 22 September), comes in a time when the United States – the vanguard of world capitalism is facing the highest poverty rate in 50 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 43.6 million Americans or 14.3 percent of its population live on less than US$22,128 per year. This is the highest number of people living in poverty in the United States since 1959, when the federal government began the measurement. Terence article also comes in a time when disturbing reports show in TV screens of long queue of people waiting for free food in “advanced” Japan. It comes in a time when Greece – a peaceful European nation is facing serious economic crisis.
His article on reality also comes in a time when most people in Latin America prefer a socialist kind of system then a neo-liberal capitalist model. It comes in a time when once again the US backed coup has to dismantle the democratic elected Government of Honduras which was leaning left and becoming left by the day. It comes in a time when Marx’s Das Kapital remain the most sought book to explain the crisis of capitalism in 2008 and it was recently reproduced in a comic version in Japan and has become a bestseller. It comes in a time when the United Nations have praised Bolivia and Cuba for their green and energy saving policies.
It is interesting to note Terence preference for the word minuscule. Yes, it is the minuscule Cuba which has been torn in the flesh of the Empire. Cuba exported free medicine and Doctors to the world while the US exported war and misery. While Terence got excited like many in the mainstream media in reporting Fidel’s statement that the ’The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore’ yet he failed to rectify when Fidel retracted the statement a few days later stating that what he meant was that the US free market is the one which is not working.
Rosa Luxemburg , the great German revolutionary socialist leader talked about socialism or barbarism during World War I. Chavez very recently spoke about Socialism or Death. If socialism ideals are to seek a paradise in the world and if that has failed…then it too can be said that all the great religion also tried to seek a paradise and they too have failed. On the other hand, it is capitalism which is responsible for the mass murder in the name of famine, war and food shortage. Terence failed to highlight Fidel’s major contribution in the article which he quoted and that was Fidel’s fear about the nuclear war and on world climate crisis. The world is in the brink of disaster – thanks to capitalism fetish for profit and accumulation.
Now coming back to PSM and PKR. In a certain ways, Terrence article is flattering for PSM as it seems to imply that PKR lacks quality and principles and PSM’s merge with them can solve this problem. This was the same logic which was used to merge Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) then. If that marriage then did result in a desired goal for Terence, then it is not necessary for this new marriage which he is proposing.
While we do not deny our minuscule size, yet PSM has let many successful rallies and coalitions including the coalition against privatization of hospitals, GST and the FTA. Our record and our consistency has made many people proud of us and this is the fear which took BN eleven years to register us. It is the mobilization strength of the PSM which has made many including in PR to take PSM as a serious ally to fight the BN. But to reconstruct this great achievements by saying that PSM finally got its registration because ROS wanted more opposition party is very mischievous. Here Terence contradicts himself. In one instance, he portrays PSM as a minuscule organization – too small and insignificant. Then he makes us look like the “king-maker” by saying why the BN finally registered us. For the record, three important developments took place as part of Badawi’s reform after the election. Harakah’s twice a month publication was allowed to be printed back as twice a week, Suara Keadilan was given its license finally and PSM was registered. Now it would be a little silly to say that PSM was registered to wreak the opposition. A little research in the part of Terence would have helped.
Maybe for Terence , Politics is the art of the possible. This 1867 quote makes everything is possible in politics. Where it is possible for PSM to merge with PKR to secure a few seats for itself or rather for a few of its individual members. Yet, politics is more that that. It is more than getting more seats. It is the question of ideology, characters and ideals which are at stake. If politics was so simple, I too would propose that PAS and DAP merge and call itself DAPPAS or PASDAP.
While Terrence may support PSM for its principles but not Socialism as an ideology. But for us, we cannot separate this two. We are principled because we are socialist. We believe in equality and we believe that the human race is not all about killing each other and competition. It is also about love and caring and about solidarity.
Terence may have put socialism in the history books and may call it the end of history but for us, it is the hope for the billions. Not the billionaires. As long as classes in society exist, class struggle will exist. As long as class struggle exist, socialism will always be alive. The end of socialism means the end of classes and exploitation.
S.Arutchelvan
Secretary-General
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)