Several groups and individuals came together to form Malaysian Left Coalition (MLC) because we feel that there is a pressing need to consolidate the Malaysian Left to take on the urgent task of getting Malaysians to think ‘out-of-the-box’ and consider re-ordering our economy and society based on the principles of solidarity among people and respect for the environment, instead of continuing with the current ‘growth at all costs’ strategy that our government is following.
We truly believe the current economic strategy of growing our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) maximally by making Malaysia as ‘investor-friendly’ as possible is a recipe for disaster. This pattern of economic growth is characterised by:
- Privatisation of public goods and services;
- Escalating costs of basic necessities for ordinary people;
- Increasing indebtedness of the lower 80 percent of the population;
- An ever widening income gap between the top 10 percent and the rest of society;
- And a disastrous competition among developing countries to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) resulting in ‘the race to the bottom’ in wages, taxation and environmental protection.
Climate change is a problem that we can no longer afford to ignore. It has the very real potential of causing large scale displacement of coastal populations (due to rising sea-levels) and serious food shortages due to crop failures. The resulting conflict over land - for housing and for agriculture - might turn very ugly as it would mean a fight for survival for certain communities.
We need to cap and if possible, reduce carbon dioxide emissions. (CO2 levels have already increased from 270 parts per million in 1700 to the current 400 parts per million.) We need to move towards renewable sources of energy. We have to greatly improve energy efficiency. We have to phase out private transport. We need to turn away from a constant growth paradigm.
All of these cannot be done within the framework of capitalism. This is why we need to start serious discussion of how a post-capitalist economy and society would look like - and how we could avoid the excesses and the authoritarian structures associated with the 20th century’s attempts to develop an alternative to capitalism.
So, the MLC is not at all about enhancing the chances of electoral victory of particular individuals or certain parties. It’s about getting people to plan for the future against the backdrop of exponential increases of greenhouse gases and the ongoing melting of the polar ice-caps. It is about breathing some rationality into the way we are running the economy. It is about facing the reality of climate change. Ultimately, it’s about preserving the planet for our children and their children.
We have to redefine the goals of modern society - not only in Malaysia, but throughout the world. And we believe that the Left is in the best situation to do this as we have a deeper analysis of society and the economy as compared to the neoliberal empiricists.
Nine main principles
These then are the reasons why we have formed the MLC and why we believe it such an important endeavour. The nine main principles that all members of the MLC subscribe to are -
i. Mobilise the people against neoliberalism, communalism and religious extremism by exposing the class interests involved in capitalist exploitation;
ii. Promote socialist ideas through our critique and struggle against capitalism, imperialism and feudalist mentality;
iii. Fight for women’s rights and feminism as against patriarchy;
iv. Conserve and protect the Malaysian environment and resist all toxic industries and projects that destroy the forests, land and health of the people;
v. Oppose privatisation, reclaim the people’s ownership of the commons, public assets, utilities and knowledge;
vi. Ensure greater democracy in the political, economic, social and cultural spheres;
vii. Uphold and promote international working class solidarity and regional cooperation;
viii. Empower the people through all means and processes in the process of their struggles;
ix. Unifying the people through the use of Bahasa Malaysia as the national language, while promoting the mother tongue languages of Malaysians.
Current efforts taken by the MLC are as follows:
1. Come out with a series of position papers on various aspect of our economic policies.
- Housing;
- Transport;
- Health;
- Safety net for ordinary Malaysians;
- National energy policy;
- The role of the market in a post-capitalist economy;
- Democratic control of monopolies, banks and utilities;
- To provide material for a society-wide discussion of these important issues.
3. Foster a discussion on the 11th Malaysia Plan with a view of suggesting people-centred and environmentally friendly policies that the government should consider incorporating into the five-year plan that will be debated in Parliament in May 2015 for implementation in 2016.
How do groups or individual join?
Membership of the MLC is open to any NGO, political party or individual who shares the principles and objectives of the coalition as stated above. The aim is to propagate progressive and socialist ideas as well as to be inclusive in our membership. This coalition is a political organisation that takes stands in the current class struggles in our country.
Organisations
1. Angkatan Pembebasan Bangsa Malaysia (APBM)
2. Collective Intelligence (CI)
3. Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM)
4. Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)
5. Workers Organisation
Individuals
Amir Dastan, Anas Abdul Jalil, Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, Adam Adli, Aizat Mokthar, Aziz Suriani, Gurdial Singh, Chong Ton Sin, Irene Xavier, Jayanath Appudurai, Jafree, Kua Kia Soong, Masjaliza, Paul Sinappan, Premish Chandran, Solomon, Rohana Ariffin and V Alfered.
