1. Implement Senior Citizens’ Pension Scheme for all immediately.

2. Bring back local elections.

3. Ensure that the minimum wage of RM1,500 is fully implemented for all employees. The proposed progressive wage system shouldn’t jeopardize the minimum wage’s implementation. Additionally, the minimum wage should reflect a living wage. There should be a limit between the ratio of the minimum wage and a minister’s salary.

4. Abolish the long-term labour contract system and replace it with permanent work.

5. Amend the 1959 Trade Union Act to increase trade union membership and boost workers’ morale.

6. Establish a Job Guarantee Scheme for new graduates from the B40 income group for them to work in the government sector and government-linked companies (GLC) as a poverty alleviation program.

7. Regulate the prices of basic goods to reduce the economic burden. Reject any initiatives to reintroduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for now.

8. Amend land laws and stop forced eviction to protect farmers and livestock herders.

9 The government should build more affordable houses priced at RM100,000 and below with comfortable living spaces.

10. The government should recognise and gazette Orang Asli customary land with communal grant status.

11. The government should improve our public transport system, fix motorcycle lanes, and prioritise sustainable urban planning. Implement free education up to the tertiary level. Abolish PTPTN and eliminate PTPTN debt borne by the B20 income group now. Build more public universities.

12. Reform the public education system to create a culture of open and critical thinking.

13. Respect the Federal Constitution and do not undermine the democratic rights of the people. Repeal all oppressive laws, including the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA), Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (POTA), Prevention of Crime Act 1959 (POCA), Sedition Act 1948, Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and more.

14. The government should cancel any forest plantation that have been approved before December 2022.

15. Establish a mechanism to recall Members of Parliament or State Assembly Members who fail to carry out their duties as representatives of the people through voting. Enact a bill to fix general election dates after every 5-year Parliamentary term.

16. Do not appoint politicians to helm positions in government-linked companies (GLCs).

17. The Malaysian government should ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

18 The government should continue free PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) programs in government hospitals and health clinics to reduce HIV infection risks.

19. Malaysian law should be amended to allow every Malaysian, including those working in foreign embassies and organizations, to have the right to sue in Malaysia and limit the diplomatic immunity of foreign representatives, especially in matters such as unfair dismissal and breach of contract.

1 October 2023, Penang

25^th National Congress of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM)

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International Solidarity Messages to the 25^th Annual Congress of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)

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Socialist Alliance, Australia

I would like to extend a message of solidarity to the Socialist Party of Malaysia for their 25^th annual National Congress.

We want to wish you a very successful congress and hope that the weekend is a platform for fruitful discussion and debate on how to build the left movements within Malaysia.

Socialist Alliance and the PSM have enjoyed a collaborative relationship over the past several years which provided valuable insights and lessons for building socialist politics in our country. We continue to be inspired by the grassroots movement work that the Socialist Party of Malaysia actively participates in, which we’ve always attempted to highlight through Green Left and we’ve also attempted to interview comrades in the PSM for those experiences.

We note that the PSM has recently launched a national campaign to call for the implementation of a universal old age pension scheme as part of the efforts to fight for better social protections. We wish you all the success in launching that campaign.

Currently in Australia, we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis where the price of essential goods is increasing and a housing market that is out of control that is not equipped to meet the demands of housing the most vulnerable.

Meanwhile, our labour government led by Anthony Albanese is failing to deliver solutions. One other issue of concern is the Albanese government has also committed Australia to being part of the Orcas military lines, where more than 368 billion dollars is being invested in acquiring nuclear powered submarines. The fact that they are committed to spending billions of dollars on war machines during a cost-of-living crisis, speaks volumes about the Albanese’s governments priorities. Yet, more importantly, the role of AUKUS is very much an attempt by the western imperialist governments from the United States, the UK to Australia to prepare for war against China and militarise the Asia Pacific region.

This is it, we have to be united. The left has to be united across Asia Pacific in opposing this growing militarism which threatens all of us. Moreover, whilst capitalism is bringing war and destruction, at the same time it is also the source of growing inequality and the climate crisis which presents an existential threat for humanity and this raises the case for a socialist transformation of society and the urgent need to strengthen the fight against the global capitalist system. Let’s unite and fight for a better world today.

Jacob Andrewartha, National Co-Convenor of Socialist Alliance

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Communist Party of Bangladesh (M-L), Bangladesh

We feel honor and encourage to express our solidarity to the delegates of 25^th Congress which will be held on the 29^th September to 1^st October, 2023.

We hope that delegates of the Congress will discuss the issues related to strengthening your organization and formulate the new tactics to organize the common people of Malaysia to challenge the prevailing political situation in Malaysia. We know that a right wing government has been installed in Malaysia in the name of “Unity Government”. This government is following the right reactionary politics in collaboration with the right reactionary politics of the world. We hope PSM will adopt new political lines and tactics for organizing grassroots level people to fight against social injustices and build a progressive alternative for Malaysia. As PSM is firm for its commitment for strengthening the left forces to advance your fight for socialism.

We hope your Congress will be successful and our fraternal relations will continue.

Dilip Barua, General Secretary

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New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA), France

The French New Anti-Capitalist Party (NPA) is happy to send you a message on the eve of your 25thCongress.

You are part of the left parties which, at the World level, are promoting a serious strategy for the defense of the working classes interests and international solidarity.

We know all the difficulties to which you are confronted to fight against the main parties who have been sharing the power in Malaysia for decades.

The undemocratic system of “The First Past The Post” is a big obstacle for you to gain electoral success. In the same time, the two bourgeois parties’ coalitions share the same policy putting forward racial and religion-based fears to divide the working classes.

Nevertheless, for 25 years, you have struggled to enforce your place in the political landscape of your country, to build social movement and organize the fight of workers and oppressed communities.

You know that in France, during six months, workers and their unions fought to defend our pension system. We know also your party, among a 7 points social demands, is fighting for “a public pension system of RM500 a month for people aged 65 years and older” while, during the COVID-19 pandemic, retired workers lost a lot with the private system of retirement funds. So, we are following with interest your action to build campaigns on social demands and action to develop social movement in Malaysia.

We also salute your internationalist actions against the war and support what have said your International Bureau Coordinator in a declaration written for the first anniversary of The Russian invasion in Ukraine:” The struggle for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world cannot be separated from the struggle against global capitalism, racism, sexism, nationalist-chauvinism, climate injustice, and ecological destruction. We need to (re-)build international solidarity among the working class and ordinary people to challenge the global capitalism that continues to breed injustices, crises and wars.”

Dear comrades, we wish you an efficient 25^th Congress.

The International Secretariat of the NPA

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Die Linke, Germany

On behalf of the Party DIE LINKE, we would like to send you warm greetings on the occasion of your 25^th Annual National Congress.

With the forces of the right on the rise, we urgently need to strengthen the alliances between the global left movements if we are to succeed in creating an alternative system that is not based on oppression, injustice and intolerance, but on solidarity, pluralism and justice.

The current dominant system is responsible not only for the needless suffering of millions of people, but also for the destruction of the planet. But instead of addressing the problem, the governments of the Global North continue to pursue policies of free trade agreements, immigration controls and war against the poor.

Even in the current difficult political landscape in Malaysia, we strongly believe that the PSM is a coherent and powerful voice that will play an important role in the forging of an equal and democratic Malaysia.

Our best wishes to you for a successful congress and fruitful debates.

Kathrin Vogler & Wulf Gallert, Chairpersons of the International Commission of DIE LINKE

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Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, India

Dear comrades, revolutionary greetings to the 25^th annual national congress of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia from the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation. On behalf of our party, we wish you great success in this congress in finding better ways and paths to deal with the challenges that we are facing in Malaysia. PSM has been fighting for a better life, for the better futures of the working class, for farmers, youth, students, and all other marginalized sections of Malaysia. Likewise, CPIML Liberation has been at the forefront of the struggles of the working class, the poor, and the downtrodden in India. These challenges, of course, that we face in our work have heightened with the rise of the right-wing across the globe. A neoliberalism where capitalism is in crisis has also meant the renewed assault of capital. This has created a very ripe global environment for right-wing regimes of various shades to emerge in various parts of the world. This is a problem and this is a crisis that all of us have to face head-on. The neoliberal policies have no doubt decimated the lives of the working class. The kind of social and economic disparity that we see across the country today in all countries is unprecedented. The loss of jobs, unemployment, wages depreciation, the lack of social security is something that is felt by all sections of the working class.

CPIML Liberation stands with the struggles of the people of Malaysia to build an egalitarian society, to build a society which is equal with no section that is subjugated. We also appreciate the efforts of PSM to build a left alternative in Malaysia towards an egalitarian society that is rooted in democratic norms. The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation extends its revolutionary greetings to all of you gathered there. We appreciate the struggles that you have undertaken over the past few years, particularly in this new challenging political environment that has emerged in Malaysia. We wish this 25^th annual national congress of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia all our great success.

Clifton D’ Rozario, Central Committee Member

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Partai Rakyat Pekerja (PRP), Indonesia

On behalf of Partai Rakyat Pekerja (PRP, Working People’s Party) Indonesia, we extend our warmest greetings and solidarity to you as you prepare to hold 25^th Annual National Congress on 29 September to 1 Oct 2023, in Penang, Malaysia. It is with great enthusiasm and commitment to the cause of socialism that we express our support for this significant event.

In a world marked by social and economic inequalities, the struggle for socialism remains a beacon of hope for working people everywhere. Your dedication to fostering dialogue, sharing ideas, and mobilizing for a more just and equitable society is truly commendable.

The challenges we face in our respective countries and on a global scale make it imperative for like-minded parties and movements to unite. Together, we can confront the oppressive forces of capitalism and work towards a future where the rights and dignity of the working class are upheld.

We recognize that the road to socialism is not without its obstacles, but it is in moments of solidarity and collaboration that we find the strength to overcome them. The exchange of experiences and strategies between our parties and movements is invaluable in our efforts to confront the challenges of capitalism and build a brighter future for all.

PRP stands firmly with the Socialist Party of Malaysia in your commitment to promoting socialism and advancing the cause of the working class. We look forward for further collaboration in the near future and engaging in fruitful discussions that will strengthen our collective struggle.

Together, we can continue to inspire and mobilize people across our nations and beyond, working towards a world where social, economic, and political power is truly in the hands of the people. Your dedication to this cause is an inspiration to us all.

In closing, we want to express our gratitude for your unwavering commitment to the principles of socialism and the well-being of working people. May the 25^th Annual National Congress be a resounding success, and may our solidarity pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future for all.

Muhammad Ridha, Chair Person

Rizal Assalam, General Secretary

Central Committee of Partai Rakyat Pekerja

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Perserikatan Sosialis, Indonesia

Hello there, red salute on behalf of Peserikatan Sosialis or Socialist Union Indonesia. Hereby, we would like to deliver our deepest solidarity message, our fraternal message to our comrades from PSM or Parti Sosialis Malaysia for holding your annual 25^th congress in Penang.

We, also as a fellow socialist Indonesia, feel deeply concerned about the recent years happening, rising populist right-wing sentiments. For quite sometime, it is something that quite alarms us as well because although this reactionary right-wing populist sentiment appeasing to the anger of the people, they are not really reflecting the interest of the working class people, or the oppressed people. But instead, they’re trying to appease of the anger of the masses only to channel them towards the interest of certain factions of the bourgeois.

We too, although in different context, face similar situations here in Indonesia. From the reactionist sentiments of racist anti-Chinese labour sentiments to reactionary bigoted sentiments perpetuated by the extremely racist group. We know that these sentiments only channel for the interest of a certain faction of the bourgeois who seeks for their narrow interest for more power among themselves instead to benefit the whole masses of the people. Therefore, after sometimes we face quite challenging situations in facing this widespread belief, wrong kind-of sentiments. We as fellow socialists need to confront and unmask this sentiment for what it is.

Therefore we salute you, comrades from PSM, for not only highlighting this issue, but also to fight it. We also deliver our solidarity message for the upcoming struggle in your currently-changing political landscape. We hope you all the best and we hope that we can, in the future, beyond this situation, will also able to learn from each other, to help each other, to cooperate, in the spirit of socialist comradeship, in the spirit of internationale revolutionary struggle, in the spirit of proletarian international, in the spirit of solidarity among the oppressed.

We hope you for the best outcome for your congress, and from Indonesia, we send you our deepest respect, and we hope you all the best. Long live international solidarity of the oppressed. Long live, socialist!

Leon Kastayudha, Member of the Central Committee

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Potere al Popolo! (PaP), Italy

It is a real pleasure to deliver my best wishes to you today on the occasion of your 25^th Congress.

Over the years, the PSM has shown unwavering dedication to the cause of social justice and equality. You have been often a point of reference for marginalized communities in Malaysia, tirelessly advocating for their rights and welfare.

Dominant capitalism and the rise of new fascisms threaten every day our shared values of equality and justice. It is in these trying times that the importance of people’s internationalism becomes even more evident.

Solidarity knows no borders. Our struggles for social justice and equality are interconnected, transcending geographical boundaries. By standing together, we can confront the forces that perpetuate inequality and oppression and PSM has exemplified this spirit by forging alliances and partnerships on the global stage, strongly believing that change is possible when we unite.

I extend POTERE AL POPOLO! heartfelt wishes to the Parti Sosialis Malaysia for even greater success in your continued fight for social justice and equality. HIDUP PSM!

Valter Piso, Political Representative of Potere al Popolo! (PaP) for the Africa, Asia and Oceania Constituency

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Socialist Party, The Netherlands

On behalf of the Socialist Party (SP) in the Netherlands, I would like to send my best wishes to the Parti Sosialis Malaysia for their upcoming 25^th Annual National Congress.

We recognize the challenging times the world faces at this moment. More than ever in modern history there is a need for progressive changes to tackle the unprecedented problems facing working people, the young generation, our ecosystem and the world as a whole.

We are confident that the Parti Sosialis Malaysia will lead the way to achieve these changes in Malaysia and will be an inspiration for people fighting for equality, human dignity and freedom across the region.

Arnout Hoekstra, General Secretary

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Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), Philippines

Solidarity greetings from the Party of the Laboring Masses (Partido Lakas ng Masa) – PLM, Philippines to the 25^th National Congress of PSM!

PLM will be holding its National Congress around the same time starting on September 30. The focus of the PLM Congress be the presentation and discussion on the ‘Platform of the Government of the Masses’, a transitional socialist platform. Our mass education will be based on this platform.

International solidarity, based on relations with fraternal parties, has always been and remains a priority for PLM. This is heightened by the ever-deepening crisis of the capitalist system, which has now erupted into a major war in Europe and preparations for a war against China, led by the United States and the imperialist bloc, in our region.

We understand that the delegates to your Congress will be discussing issues related to strengthening of PSM and expanding its work in the new challenging political environment in Malaysia, with the formation of a so-called “Unity Government” after the General Election in November 2022, and the seeming rise of right-wing populist forces and the struggles at the grassroots level for workers rights, housing rights and livelihoods for working people.

We wish PSM a successful National Congress and we are confident that your deliberations and decisions will lead to strengthening the struggle for a socialist alternative in Malaysia. Mabuhay Socialist Internationalism! Mabuhay PSM!

Reihana Mohideen, PLM International Desk

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Frontline Socialist Party, Sri Lanka

We send our warmest greetings to the 25^th National Annual Congress of the Socialist Party of Malaysia, on behalf of the Frontline Socialist Party, all the socialists and leftist members of Sri Lanka, and also the working class and the oppressed masses of Sri Lanka.

We know Malaysia is in a deep crisis, and we are also in a deep crisis in Sri Lanka here. The crisis of capitalism has attacked the whole working class. Here in Sri Lanka, the government tries to get an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF’s conditions were those plans to attack working class. We heard that you are fighting for a universal pension scheme for old-aged senior citizens. Here in Sri Lanka, we already have a pension scheme for the state workers, but now they are going to cancel the pension scheme. And also there is a employee provident fund (EPF) and employee trust fund (ETF) as a pension scheme for private sector workers and also estate workers, but now IMF has told the government to restructure all the debts and in this restructuring plan now they attack the EPF/ETF pension fund. So, we also have the same struggle here as the working class of Sri Lanka. We think our solidarity with our neighbour countries is very essential to win this fight. We know the government in Malaysia which came to power from the general election 2022 is a populist right-wing government. Here in Sri Lanka, a year ago in 2022, there was a very big mass struggle, and from that mass struggle, the dictator President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was exiled and later he resigned. There was a very big victory for the masses but the main problem is the system is still the same. There was a vacuum for a revolutionary party. In Malaysia, and also in Sri Lanka, and also in the whole world, we have two problems: how to build the revolutionary mass movement, and how to build the revolutionary party. So, as the proletariat of Sri Lanka, as the Frontline Socialist Party of Sri Lanka, we send our warm greetings and our solidarity to the working class of Malaysia and the Socialist Party of Malaysia in this important annual national congress. We hope all the events you have planned to be successful, and the solidarity between our working classes should proceed and should build up. And for that, again, we warmly send our greetings on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka, the oppressed masses of Sri Lanka, to the working class of Malaysia and the Socialist Party of Malaysia. Hope your congress be successful this year. And we will meet soon, as we have to struggle for a common minimum program in Asian countries for the working class, and also a broad anti-imperialist platform must be built. We can work together for such a platform and such a program. For that also, it is very essential, it is very important to build a revolutionary party in Sri Lanka, also in Malaysia. For this congress, we think it is very important to us. Again, we send our warmest greetings to you.

Pubudu Jayagoda, Central Committee Member

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Socialist Workers Thailand (SWT)

On the occasion of the 25^th Annual National Congress of PSM in Penang, we, from SWT, are proud of you, comrades, and happy that you stand up for true democracy very strongly in these very difficult times.

We are on the same page that the working class’s livelihood is being threatened due to the existing political and economic systems’ failure to respond to our demands and problems. In Thailand, millions of people felt disappointed with the Pheu Thai Party which came to the second-ranking of the latest general election this year. Even if it is the former opposition party which was forced by the military coup to step down, it finally allowed the former government who promotes the military dictatorship to come to power again to depolarize politics. Our organization realized that they decided to cooperate to restore the capitalist system and their interest. They become the obstacles to democratizing Thai society.

However, we, as socialists in Asia, keep building a socialist platform to challenge capitalism and authoritarianism. In Thailand, we have more young members and are attempting to keep up with the global crisis and situations. Our current aims are to campaign for releasing political prisoners, abolishing the Lese majesty law, and drafting the new constitutional law, social welfare system, and justice system.

We would like to congratulate you and wish your Annual National Congress a success. In solidarity.

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Europe in solidarity without borders (ESSF)

You are engaged in a difficult struggle, which you wish to be as broadly united as possible, against injustice and for rights – the rights of all to effective social protection, to a universal old-age pension scheme, workers’ rights, to housing, to subsistence for ordinary people, for men and women, and people of all faiths and origins to have the same chances in life.

At a time of global “polycrisis”, this struggle is becoming ever more urgent. We face multiple specific crises – climatic and ecological, health and socio-economic, political and democratic, geostrategic. Each of these crises is already fraught with devastating consequences. They also feed on each other, creating a formidable global crisis whose effects can be felt everywhere, from North to South and East to West: widespread social insecurity, the rise of authoritarian regimes, the militarization of the world, refugees and migrants without basic rights, mega-fires and droughts, floods on an exceptional scale and deadly typhoons, destruction of biodiversity and ecosystems…

France has not escaped the effects of this polycrisis, and the poor, the working classes are already paying a heavy price. We feel fully in solidarity with your struggles – first and foremost because we are both committed to a community of resistance and for a global alternative in the face of the disaster caused by capitalist globalization. As well because South and Southeast Asia is one of the hardest-hit regions in the world. In many countries, successive layers of the population are plunging into extreme poverty, destitution and even famine.

The global crisis must be met by internationalism without borders.

We wish your congress every success,

Let’s strengthen international solidarity!

Pierre Rousset and Mark Johnson, ESSF

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(Transcripts for video messages are done by Amanda, Yazid and Brian)

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