|A greater need to assure the poor|
And this confidence cannot be won if Pakatan Rakyat continues to bandy about terms like 'meritocracy' that scare Malays who still make up the bulk of the bottom 40 percent of society, said PSM's sole MP Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj.
"In my constituency (in Sungai Siput) some Malays can't afford to pay their electricity bill and some can't send their children to school because they can't afford the bus fare.
"You talk about taking away Malay scholarships, they get worried. DAP's Malaysian Malaysia is scary to them,” he said at the Socialism 2010 conference today.
He added that when Pakatan Rakyat attacks bumiputera quotas, mostly due to its enrichment of the better-off Malays, they end up also attacking those who are struggling.
"Think of the class struggle and approach each class differently...Many of the poor Malays were exploited by Malay contractors too," he said
In his presentation at the PSM's conference at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jeyakumar said that Malay society is split into four classes - the bottom 70 percent Melayu marhaen (lower class Malays), middle class employees, contractors and the corporate class.
Weary of meritocracy talk
Of these four, Malay contractors, too, are wary of talk of meritocracy, said the PSM founding member, as they have much to lose in opportunities to receive government contracts.
Socialism 2010"Between the years 2005 and 2010 RM1.2 billion worth of projects were awarded to Class F bumiputera contractors.
"When (Prime Minister Najib Razak) talks about transparency and open tenders, this group is unhappy as they may have to share," he said.
According to Jeyakumar, it is the unhappiness of this lot that Malay rights group Perkasa, vocal against the abolishing of bumiputera quotas, is exploiting.
"Perkasa is the mouthpiece of the Malay contractor class. For impact, they will have to mobilise the poor Malays using things like Article 153 (of the federal constitution) and Islam, to say these have been challenged," he said.
"The next general election depends on whether Pakatan Rakyat can prove that they can be relied upon to continue programmes for the betterment of the (poor Malays)," he said.
System overhaul neeeded
Jeyakumar's seemingly reasonable advice to the opposition coalition, however, comes with a dose of scepticism.
"(Najib's) New Economic Model is similar to Pakatan's economic agenda. They believe in competing globally and finding our niche, and that we can all live as a capitalist society.
"That is why (PSM) cannot join Pakatan, but we are their friends. We will join them to take out the BN," he said.
Dr Jeyakumar, who is also a PSM central committee member, said that beyond that, it would require a total overhaul in ideology and systems.
"Otherwise it would be just be like changing kings," he said. - Malaysiakini