PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said it was a bit “exciting” that Kuasa’s intended objectives harked back to the old days when Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Umno, had indirectly espoused a social democratic system with a focus on championing the have-nots, especially in the rural areas.
According to the former Sungai Siput MP, although it shares similar ideals with PSM, Kuasa has to put into action what it is preaching before it can be judged.
“We are a bit uncomfortable with Kuasa’s support for the BN of today. However, we are watching with great interest whether it will reignite and reawaken the principles of the old BN led by second Malaysian prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein in the early ’70s.
“We want to see if it is genuinely interested in speaking up for people of all races and to help solve their problems,” he told FMT.
Jeyakumar added that having access to key leaders in the government was necessary to carry this out and in this Kuasa’s founder had a great advantage.
“Having a leader who is the sibling of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will surely help. Besides that, another Malay-led party that speaks for all races is good for Malaysia.”
He said the old Umno-led BN did well with people-centric programmes such as the Felda schemes, rural electrification, rural health clinics, support for smallholders, and setting up Socso but it lost its direction after Dr Mahathir Mohamad steered it in the opposite direction and mixed politics with business.
Jeyakumar said PSM would like to see Kuasa resurrecting the old social-democratic tendencies as it would be a good thing for Malaysian politics, adding that the nation needed to move away from the focus on race and religion.
Asked if PSM would enter into a pact with Kuasa, once it was registered, to face the next general election (GE15), he said they would consider it after monitoring the party’s activities on the ground.
“We want to look at their activities, the kind of statements they make, and the issues that they take up. We want to see if the leaders go down to the community and stand in the picket lines and at protests like our members do.
“Similar to how we invite other parties to join us when standing up for the poor and downtrodden, PSM will also reach out to Kuasa to be with them in fighting for the urban poor,” he said.
Saying he was impressed with what Kamarazaman had gone through in his younger days as a student activist, Jeyakumar felt that this put him in good stead to lead a party that was trying to bring national politics to the middle ground.
“I know critics are saying this is a cynical power play by BN, to draw away support from Pakatan Harapan and to bolster Umno.
“Some are saying Kamarazaman is being too idealistic under the circumstances, but I feel it is too early to tell. Let’s give Kuasa a chance before we write it off.”