Updated:
Saturday October 4, 2014 MYT 8:47:17 PM
The ‘black bull’ that was
by akil yunus
MY childhood memories of
general elections in Malaysia are vague to say the least, and all I seem
to recall are random images of party flags hanging everywhere across
town.
However, this one incident has stayed fresh in my mind, and somewhat oddly so as there was nothing significant about it per se.
I believe it was during the 1999 general election, and my father was
driving the family through town when we stopped at a traffic light,
where I spotted several flags depicting a black bull on a red background
hanging under some street lamps.
I remember thinking that was one scary yet brave-looking bull, and
thought people would probably vote for that party because it had a
“cool” logo. What did you expect? I was 10, and had no interest
whatsoever in the election process or its outcome.
All I knew was that in the next general election five years later,
that black bull, set against a red field, was gone and has rarely been
seen since.
As it turned out, the party the bull belonged to, Parti Rakyat
Malaysia (PRM) merged with Parti Keadilan Nasional to form Parti
Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
Founded in 1955 as a socialist party, the PRM of today - comprising
members who chose not to be part of the merger with Keadilan in 2004 -
faces an uphill battle to remain relevant in a democratic system that
seems to favour coalitional and right wing politics.
Much of its struggle stems from a lack of financial resources, with
the party having to rely on personal contributions from a shrinking
member base, most of whom belong to the lower-income group.
Just walk into the party’s headquarters located on the fourth floor of a shoplot in Petaling Jaya, and you’ll know what I mean.
The merger to form PKR also left many supporters wondering if the black bull was truly on its last legs.
There were, however, a handful of leaders who chose to remain behind
as they were committed to keeping the leftist agenda alive, with
Keadilan being perceived as too centrist.
“Most of our members joined the merger, while those who chose to stay
behind were the old leaders, who had become disillusioned because they
think the party sold them out,” said PRM’s current president Dr Rohanna
Ariffin (pic), when I interviewed her recently.
It is a tricky situation that the party finds itself in, which is why
it is now shifting its focus to the youth as part of a rebuilding
exercise.
With current membership only in the hundreds, PRM has launched the
“Sekolah Rakyat” programme in a bid to educate the public, primarily the
youth, on socialism and leftist policies.
“We feel the youth, especially the urban generation, have become
disillusioned with both sides of the political divide. Our aim is to
raise awareness on an alternative option for the people, show them that
they have a third choice,” says Rohana.
The party is already working to strengthen the socialist movement in
the country by collaborating with Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and
several other NGOs to form the “Left Coalition”.
However, it may be a tad optimistic to expect the Left Coalition to
become a genuine political force to be reckoned with anytime soon.
For one, the coalition is still in its infancy and the degree of
cooperation between the member parties have yet to be determined,
although a collective agenda has already been drafted by Rohana and
several others.
The prospect does seem exciting. Some glaring shortcomings of both
Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat in recent years have increased the
need for a genuine “third force” to champion the people while serving as
a balancing agent for its dominant political counterparts.
However, I have reservations as to whether socialism would be a
workable model for Malaysia today, given that the majority of Malaysians
subscribe to right wing views. It will be a monumental task for parties
like PSM and PRM to convince the public to go the other way.
Rohana acknowledges the challenge ahead, especially in navigating
negative perceptions that socialists are pro-communism, too liberal and
anti-religion.
“We are running against the tide of societal mindset. Even opposition
parties like PAS think socialist parties are irreligious. This makes
the need to educate the youth via the Internet and Sekolah Rakyat even
more pressing,” she adds.
Ten years ago, many had written off its ability to remain relevant,
but PRM is still standing. My visit to the party’s headquarters gave me
the feeling that the few progressive individuals left in the party,
including Rohana, remain dedicated to rekindling the fighting spirit of
its founding fathers.
As the Malay proverb goes: Diam-diam ubi berisi. Given the
time and support (more so financially) from its existing members, as
well as its pro-active efforts to attract newer and younger faces, I
reckon that the black bull I remember seeing lining the streets as a
child could yet make a comeback to the political arena.
> The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own. - Star, 4/10/2014, The ‘black bull’ that was
