The Malaysian Trades Union Congress' (MTUC) decision to picket on May 12 in protest of the alleged bad management of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), is a political decision by its members to publicise their grouses and safeguard their retirement fund.

It is political, not in the sense of party politics, but that of exercising one's right to freedom of speech and expression, a right enshrined in the Malaysian constitution and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.

It would be simplistic to compare this decision to the opposition's political activities such as street demonstrations.

It would be more apt to describe it as empowering and progressive as it could mean one or two things : Malaysian workers who make up the backbone of the country's economy have become more aware of their rights and are able to make decisions to fight for them.

Awareness and the ability to make decisions is indeed a gift accorded only to human beings; no other living creatures are capable of such abilities. It also signifies the progress of the country's human development as opposed to its physical development.

Furthermore, this decision, proposed by MTUC's general committee last Friday, will have to wait until it is endorsed by 230 affiliates representing 550,000 workers nationwide, all of them part of the total of 9.7 million EPF contributors.

Come this April 20, when the general-council sits, the question to picket or not, like any other proposal in any democratic set-up, will have to endure the process of negotiation and debate before becoming a reality.

New problems

It is therefore surprising to find ministers and union officials coming out to denounce the picket as if it was something so drastic that it could topple the government or ruin the country's economy or worse still, lead this peaceful nation into chaos.

Last Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad advised MTUC not to create new problems, saying that a picket is not the way to resolve problems.

Reiterating the call, newly appointed Women and Family Development Minister Sharizat Abdul Jalil appealed to the congress' president Zainal Rampak during the women's day celebration last Monday, not to teach women 'to do bad things such as picket'.

Sharizat reasoned that such lessons could lead women to picket outside their houses if their husbands reduced their allowances by 50 percent.

Yesterday, Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Onn joined the bandwagon saying he had 'heard rumours' that MTUC was influenced by the opposition.

This is because the picket will coincide with this year's Workers' Day rally and Asean Labour Ministers will be meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

Subsequently, Cuepacs president S Sivasubramanian criticised MTUC for being 'irresponsible and acting brashly' as the picket could affect the country's well-being.

It is not right to say that MTUC's action is a threat or an ultimatum to the government by its announcement to picket. A picket is lawful under the Trade Unions Act, thereby blessed by the government of the day.

It is not right to say that a picket would bring chaos to the country or damage the country's economy as workers will take their own time off to carry out the activity.

A picket is not a strike, as clarified by Zainal a few days ago. Advanced economies like America, England, Japan and the Scandinavian countries see pickets and demonstrations most days but are these nations poverty stricken?

Some people argue it is not in the culture and tradition of Malaysians to thrash out their grouses in the open as it is rude and ungrateful.

Would it be better then to plan and strategise political manoeuvres and hit out at one's opponent behind his or her back in a dirty political game, so that when it happens, the opponent does not have the slightest idea about who or what hit him or her?

Civilised manner

There are suggestions that MTUC sit with the government and discuss, talk and negotiate matters in a 'civilised' manner. One wonders if MTUC had ever considered this notion?

The minimum wage issue took 50 years to resolve, when it finally did, the sum was not even impressive and confined to the palm oil sector only. The monthly wage issue, which has also seen years of negotiations, is yet to be ironed out.

The issue of union recognition for the electronic sector has been discussed, negotiated and consulted across the table for thirty years, but until today, the government is silent on this issue.

Women workers representatives lament the issue of enhancing maternity leave from two to three months, problems of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment at the workplace have been battled for thirty years but none have been resolved satisfactorily.

The complaints against EPF did not happen overnight, the dividend rates have been sliding year after year. It has now hit the lowest in 26 years.

Lately, Mahathir has compelled employees to cut their contributions from 11 percent to nine percent.

MTUC argues when the economy was booming, workers did not get higher dividends nor were their contributions increased to a profitable figure.

And what about talks? Union officials lament that MTUC has only five representatives in the EPF board compared to 18 government and employers' representatives.

Whenever votes are cast, or there is a need for board members' voices to be heard, how could the five representatives fare against the 18 members' strength?

It is often said the sky is the limit but there is a limit to patience, when one has exhausted all avenues or has been through all the highways and byways of the communications channel.

MTUC is at crossroads now - to picet or not, depends very much on the political consciousness and awareness of its members of their rights to a better quality of life and appreciation of their contribution to nation building.

SUSAN LOONE is a malaysiakini journalist.