I refer to the malaysiakini report The left-wing's vanishing dream .

Straight off, I will say that socialism is not a vanishing dream nor is the PSM, which was formed some 10 years ago and has grown into a fully-fledged party. It has been unfairly refused registration, both by the bureaucrats and unfortunately also by the judges, who should know better.

PSM should not be seen or compared in the same light with other mainstream political parties in the country, both ruling or opposition. Most of these parties exist to promote race and religion or a truncated version of democracy - not to build real and lasting social justice.

The struggles of PSM are wholly different so the criteria to measure them should also be different. PSM should be seen as a torchbearer and it should be seen in the historical context ie, the birth of socialism and the never-ending struggle for justice that is now fought on a global scale.

From this perspective, PSM is a legitimate inheritor of a great and fabulous tradition of struggle, sacrifice and resistance. In this sense, PSM is not small or alone. It is part of a global movement for justice and is nurtured by a rich tradition of unrelenting resistance to injustice. It is connected to the past, its struggles are in the present and it is part of the future when the torch is passed on.

The torch they carry now was lit by some passionate workers 70 or 80 years ago in colonial Malaya. In this context, being small is meaningless and to describe socialism and its goals as a 'vanishing dream' is rather silly. Being part of a global movement and part of a historical struggle is everything.

We must appreciate the fact that PSM exists in an extremely hostile political environment. It is the only party in the country that is helping the worker to understand his society in clear and unambiguous terms ie, who owns the wealth, what is the power relationship between the classes, how he ended up where is and the oppression he suffers. Without this understanding, there is no liberation.

In contrast 'Malaysian Malaysia' and 'Ketuanan Melayu' are two sides of the same coin. There is no human advancement there, no clearing of the mist, no liberation of the shackled.

On charisma, history has shown that charisma is not necessary for socialist victory. Dr M Jeyakumar and Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim might not be 'charismatic' in the way others might be but they have deep understanding of the human predicament and their commitment to the cause has withstood the test of time.