SHAH ALAM – Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) has confirmed it will not join the opposition coalition announced by Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, citing discomfort with the ethnic-based politics practised by many of the parties involved.
PSM chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said the decision was made after internal discussions, with members concluding the coalition did not align with the party’s principles.
“In that coalition Muhyiddin put together, many of the parties play on ethnic issues. Whether Malay-based or Indian-based, they rely on such politics. We feel very uncomfortable being in a coalition that does that,” he told English news portal FMT on Monday.
He stressed that joining a coalition is not on PSM’s agenda for now.
“The party’s general membership has decided we should not join any coalition unless they reform their ways,” he said.
On PSM’s past electoral pact with Muda, Jeyakumar said the party would hold discussions with the youth-led movement to understand its decision to work with Muhyiddin’s bloc.
Muhyiddin announced the coalition on Aug 18, saying it aimed to hold the government accountable and pressure Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to deliver on reform pledges.
The coalition now involves 11 opposition parties: Bersatu, Pas, Gerakan, Pejuang, Muda, the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Putra, Berjasa, Urimai, the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) and the National Indian Muslim Alliance Party (Iman).
However, both PSM and Muda have since clarified they are not part of the bloc.
A Malay Mail report on July 19 noted that PSM had previously insisted any coalition decision must be approved by its Congress under the principle of Democratic Centralism. Meanwhile, Muda previously said it would only cooperate with parties that share its values.
For the record, Muhyiddin said the coalition would focus on issues such as the rising cost of living, the expansion of the Sales and Services Tax (SST) and what it viewed as shortcomings in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
Public reaction has been mixed, with some questioning whether such a diverse bloc can last without a clear direction.