After almost 45 years in existence, Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) claims that it is still committed to the people's struggle for justice, equality and freedom. With the ups and downs since its formation in 1955, WAN HAMIDI HAMID finds out whether the party is still relevant in the current Malaysian political scenario.

PARTI Rakyat Malaysia has been in existence far longer than most opposition parties.

Its symbol of a bull with a red backdrop stands out stronger than the PAS and DAP symbols.

Yet many Malaysians aren't sure what the PRM stands for.

Its leaders, with the exception of party chief Dr Syed Husin Ali perhaps, are not recognised by the average Malaysian.

The younger generation is unlikely to realise that the PRM was one of the big names of the 1950s and 1960s but by the 1970s it had become a spent force.

The stage was then set for Barisan Nasional to become the ruling coalition while the opposition was led by DAP and PAS.

PRM, or Partai Sosialis Rakyat Malaya (PSRM) as it was known from 1967 until 1990, is one of the left-overs of the ideologically-inclined parties.

Others such as the Labour Party and National Convention Party, which had formed the Socialist Front with PRM in the 1960s, were no longer in existence.

Yet today, PRM is adamant that it can still make a difference.

Preparing for the coming general election, Dr Syed Husin believes the time for change has come for Malaysia.

Such optimism is expected as the opposition believes that voters are ready to change the Federal Government because of their resentment over the treatment of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Dr Syed Husin claimed more people, especially the young were joining PRM, a phenomenon that had never happened for many years.

"Certain rural areas in Johor, Penang and Selangor that were never accessible to PRM, have been asking us to set up our branches there.

"We even have former Umno members joining us. This is a very satisfying development," he said, adding that the party's membership had reached almost 40,000.

He said people were joining PRM because they saw the party as a better alternative than others, particularly its commitment to justice and freedom, and to foster multi-racialism and harmony.

He added that PRM had been consistent in its fight against injustice, concentration of wealth, oppression, cronyism and nepotism for many years, long before Anwar's issue came to the limelight.

Said a political analyst: "The PRM projects itself as a fighter for the working class, especially the squatters.

"The problem is they forget about the middle class who don't want to have squatters in their neighbourhood as it lowers the price of their property.

"On the other hand, the squatters understand the only real help comes from the Government. In the end, the bigger loser continues to be the PRM."

Former PSRM leader Kassim Ahmad explained that PRM was formed in the aftermath of World War II as a Malay left-wing political group to fight for a new, free and progressive Asia.

Much of this political momentum was an idealism derived from the belief that a new world was being born after the collapse of the world European colonial system, he said.

He added that later, such groups were caught between the new geopolitics of the two power blocs of Western capitalism and Eastern communism.

"Such movements reached their peak in the 1960s and 1970s but waned with the collapse of the non-aligned movement and the Sino-Soviet ideologicalconflict. PSRM suffered from the same fate," he said.

"Under these circumstances, PRM can best play its role in alliance with Umno rather than PAS," he said, referring to PAS' right-wing religious interpretation of politics.

Surely such a remark will find strong opposition from PRM leaders and members, including some former members too, as they had been fighting against Barisan and the Alliance since the 1950s.

Dr Syed Husin retorted that PSRM also suffered self-inflicted wounds when the leaders in the late 1960s and early 1970s became too ideological, making it hard for the people to relate the party's struggle with their day-to-day life.

"They only knew how to talk about ideology and ideas but the people failed to understand them," he added.

Said a political observer: "PRM supporters such as (Universiti Malaya) lecturer Dr Jomo Sundram has spoken at PRM ceramahs where they treat their audience like a university lecture."

Kassim went even further by saying that during his days in PSRM, especially between 1981 and 1983, he thought that PSRM would be better off working with Umno and Barisan.

"In fact a committee headed by me, was formed to explore the possibility. When the party later reneged on its own decision, I left," he said.

After so many defeats in elections, PSRM in the mid-1980s started to discuss the future of the party.

In 1990, PSRM dropped socialism, both from the name and the ideology of the party.

A few leaders and members left the party despite 1990 being considered as one of the best years to defeat Barisan, particularly when Umno was rife with internal problems.

One of those who left the party was social activist Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim.

He said: "Before I joined PSRM (in the 1980s), I was looking for a political party with a history of people's struggle. I was attracted to socialism because I believe it is the only ideology capable of challenging the evils of capitalism.

"So I joined PSRM on the basis that my friends and I would try to strengthen the party but later we were disappointed because PSRM was run by intellectuals.

"There were lots of problems. While the Government was accusing us of many allegations, we did not answer accordingly, and at the same time, the people absorbed whatever the media told them because we did not seriously explain the allegations to them."

Dr Nasir has applied for the registration of the Socialist Party of Malaysia since last May but has yet to receive any confirmation from the Registrar of Societies.

He believed that the problems with PRM is not its ideology but the people inside the party who were unsure of their roles.

"An old man in one kampung told me that socialism is not just about throwing seeds on the ground. It is also about fertilising the ground and watering the seeds," he said.

But Dr Syed Husin disagreed on the lack of organising on PRM's behalf, saying that the party had done lots of work and organised people in many areas.

However, he admitted that PRM was being realistic by confining themselves to areas where they felt there was a chance of winning the elections.

His hope is shared by newly-elected PRM Youth chief Faizal Sanusi, who would be 30 this year, stating that the party was his choice because it was the only political group that had never given up its struggle.

"Despite the allegations that PRM is socialist or communist, I believe that those are just accusations by Barisan to make us look bad in the eyes of the people," he said, adding that PRM was committed to social justice more than anything else.

He also admitted that his exposure to PRM was due to his father Dr Sanusi Osman, the party's secretary-general.

Dr Syed Husin said both the young and older generation must also be realistic in accepting the fact that unless the Malays changed mentally and spiritually, there could never be any real change in the structure and system of the country.

The PRM's position will be tested again in the coming general election.

So PRM must start to chart its future for the next millennium.

PRM's strength has always been its non-communal approach and consistent platform against injustices.

This will be tested during the coming elections.

It can either continue to become a mosquito party or do something more concrete to become a real agent of change for society.