After a seven-year wait for its registration, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is still waiting...

Today, about 40 proponents and supporters of the party gathered outside the Home Ministry in Putrajaya urging the government to expedite its approval.

They carried banners which read "Fundamental rights guaranteed in the constitution must be accorded to PSM", "Allow the people to choose" and "Kajang residents want ministry to register PSM".

The peaceful gathering which began at 10.45am was also to hand over a memorandum and around 5,000 petitions to Home Minister Azmi Khalid but the minister was away on a family bereavement .

The petitions were collected in a postcard signature campaign to rally support for the party's registration.

It quoted Article 10 of the Federal Constitution which specifics that each citizen has the basic right to form an organisation.

While quoting Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), it accused the government of not playing fair in dealing with PSM's application.

"The government had, in the past, registered organisations in less than two weeks. It is a discrimination towards PSM if the party is not registered," read the memo which was endorsed by 36 groups.

Among the groups endorsing it are opposition parties DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), grassroots non-governmental organisation Alaigal, veteran rights group Aliran, education and social-awareness youth group Lasallians In Action and Just International.

Ministry un-cooperative

At first, the group leaders were prevented from entering the ministry but after negotiations with security personnel in the presence of the police, five of them were eventually allowed to meet with Azmi's special officer Mohd Zuki.

However Zuki only saw them for five minutes and he also refused to acknowledge receipt of the memorandum by not putting down an official receipt stamp, explaining that he has no authority to do so.

"However, he said he will pass it on to the minister. We are happy that we have submitted it," said one of the leaders present, M Sukumaran.

Malaysiakini was also not allowed to meet with the officer to obtain his comments.

The group, mainly from Kajang, Subang Jaya, Sg Siput and Buntong (Ipoh), dispersed at 11.25am after chanting "the ministry must register PSM" three times.

PSM submitted their application for registration as a political party on April 30, 1998.

Its current pro tem leaders are Mohamad Nasir Hashim (chairperson), M Sarawathy (vice-chairperson) and S Arutchelvan (secretary-general).