On March 1, elected Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) members became the only Malaysian politicians to publicly declare their assets.
The elected PSM members are national parliament member Dr Jeyakumar Raj, PSM chairperson and Selangor state assembly person Dr Nasir Hashim, and three local councillors.
Elected PSM representatives are also required to donate 40% of their income to the party. "This is people's power politics in practice", Dr Nasir told Green Left Weekly. "We come in poor and we go out poor."
PSM leaders are also expected to reject "VIP treatment", live a simple life and always be seen as being able to be approached by the people.
The aim is to win the people's respect for the work they do, not the positions they hold.
PSM members who hold public positions also cannot be directors of profit-orientated corporate bodies.
Local PSM service centres — organised in every branch and to which local people bring their problems to be acted on — have to be operating in all areas the party fields candidates, whether the party won or lost.
Elected representatives must make themselves available at their local service centre once a week.
Elected PSM members can also be recalled by members at any time of their term.
Aspiring PSM candidates must have served in a constituency for not less than five years. The PSM rejects "parachute" candidates.
Over the past year, the PSM played a prominent role in the campaign against a goods and services tax the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is trying to introduce. It has also been active in opposing the privatisation of the public health system, and campaigns for free education and the implementation of minimum wage laws.
The PSM has also pressed the National Bank as well as the prime minister's department for loan restructuring and for easy loans to be made available to the poor.
The PSM has not joined the People's Front (PR) opposition alliance. However, it staunchly defends PR and works closely with it on specific issues.
"We are a PR-friendly party and we march with PR", explained Dr Jeyakumar. "We support PR's reform agenda, but we are also against capitalism and neoliberal policies."
I spoke with PSM leader Dr Nasir Hashim, a former detainee without trial under Malaysia's notorious Internal Security Act (ISA), about the current political situation in Malaysia.
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The Malaysian state is determined to prosecute opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on charges of "sodomy". The last time, he was jailed for years but was released when the charges were proved to be trumped up. What do you think is going to happen this time?
Evidence from doctors disproving the sodomy allegation should be good enough throw the "Sodomy II" case out of the window. But the judges refused to budge and stifled Anwar's appeals at all levels.
This strongly suggests the judges have taken sides as those judges who loyally support the government get promoted quickly.
If Anwar is convicted, he will not be able to lead the charge to take over the government through the elections due in 2012. Prime Minister Abdul Razak is limping politically with many unanswered charges of serious wrongdoings against him.
Why did Najib's government launch these latest charges?
Anwar is making headway. The use of race and religion by the BN government to garner the support of the Malays is not taking root. People are going beyond race and religion to solve the problems of the country.
The public have become disinterested in the case. Anwar is gaining more support from the public.
The PR prefers to move on with the issues pertaining to the development of the country. Of course, the charges against Anwar will be used by PR leaders to expose the desperation of BN in their nightly speeches and road shows around the country.
The Najib government has made a lot of noise about foreign government interference around the Anwar trial.
It has been the order of the day that those who expose the government's abuses will be branded as anti-national or traitors. If outside the country, they will be accused of political interference.
However, continuing efforts to highlight the government's standards and discrimination will surely embarrass the BN leadership and discourage investment into the country. So, despite their accusations of political interference, the government is forced to listen to international protests and condemnation.
Are people today more or less intimidated by the federal government? Are the recent attacks on Christian churches in Malaysia part of an orchestrated campaign of intimidation?
The people are less intimidated by government propaganda. In the past, the BN would conjure up a "state of siege" using race and religion and, if this did not work, the BN would use their goons to create unrest by destroying and burning churches, temples and mosques and then try to blame the opposition.
This could be followed by mass arrests, using the ISA, to eliminate their enemies.
But now, such arrests would backfire on BN, especially when their credibility is at its lowest ever. The BN is very vulnerable after its unprecedented loss of five state governments and one federal territory in the 2008 general elections.
For may years, Malaysian opposition parties lived under the threat of another "May 13" (the notorious racial pogrom — encouraged by some ruling party politicians in response to opposition gains in a general election — that resulted in more than 2000 deaths in 1969). Is this still a strong fear? Is fear still a potent force in Malaysian politics?
As long as there is racial tension, the spectre of "May 13" will be used as a threat to intimidate opposition. But the sting is not there any more, because those who experienced May 13 are old or dead.
The BN will continue to try to use racial politics to instill fear in the young generations, but most people are more interested in bread and butter issues and the problem of employment.
But some corrupt, hypocritical and lamentably infantile intellectuals continue to harp on racial and religious issues to advance their personal agendas.
BN and its component parties are in tatters. The power struggle within BN does not seem to end. They are clutching at straws to gain power.
They need a different strategy to win over the people. But their corruption continues.
The fact that the second reading of the GST bill in Parliament has been postponed reflects BN concern at planned mass protests. They need the money from the GST, but are not willing to review the efficiency of tax collection of the present system.
They are not willing to stop the escalating corruption. In the past, they would have bulldozed their law through Parliament despite protests. Now, they have to appease the public in the hope of gaining their votes in the next elections.
A civil war may not be likely, but the BN could suffer a massive vote of no confidence in these elections. So they have to tread carefully.
Has the PSM been able to use its elected positions to speak out on this issue?
We have used the opportunity to speak our minds. We have been able to provide a critical analysis of capitalism, to promote socialism by defending workers rights and their welfare, and to push for programs for the poor.
The BN and PR politicians know we don't want to fine-tune capitalism but get rid of it. They are trapped by the ideology of the day, which is to speedily win power and wealth. Empowering the people is not on their agenda.
We are not afraid to call street demonstrations, and more often than not our socialist comrades lead the coalitions for such actions.