By Peter Boyle

The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) won two of the four seats it contested in the general elections on March 8. Dr Jeyakumar, a central committee member of the PSM defeated a senior leaders of the ruling Barisan Nasional, Minister of Works Samy Vellu, in the seat of Sungai Siput in Perak. Last August I visited Sungai Siput with Jeyakumar and other PSM comrades. Their strong base among plantation workers (mostly descendants of indentured labourers brought from India in the British colonial era) was very obvious.

PSM president Dr Nasir Hashim won the state Legislative Assemby seat of Kota Damansara in Selangor. “Today is a great day for all Malaysian opposition parties including PSM”, declared the party’s website.
See http://www.parti-sosialis.org

``The people of Sungai Siput and Kota Damansara have shown their appreciation for the years of community work we have done there by voting for our candidates yesterday! Our candidate, Dr. Kumar defeated Samy Vellu in Sungai Siput, Perak, for our first ever Parliament seat and Nasir Hashim won the DUN Kota Damansara seat! Both ran under the Keadilan flag.

PSM supporters celebrate

``Here onwards, Parlimen and Dewan Undangan Negeri joins the grounds from here we stand up for the rights of the oppressed - from the working class and the poor to single mothers and orang aslis [indigenous
people].''

The PSM, which has been undemocratically refused electoral registration, stood its candidates under the banner of main opposition Keadilan (Justice) Party. Keadilan is led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim who was framed and jailed for years by former PM Mohamed Mahathir.

***

Apart from the two victorious PSM candidates, Jeyajumar Deveraj and Nasir Hisham, another two progressive activists also won seats under the Keadilan (Justice) Party banner:

* Tian Chua, who began his politicalactivism while an overseas student in Sydney. His blog is here: http://tianchua.net/

* Eli Wong, a human rights activist who also began her political activism while studying in Sydney. Her blog:
http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/