April 1, 2025
PETALING JAYA – THE basic assumption is that if there are two coalitions – say Madani vs Perikatan Nasional – and voters are unhappy with both, they’ll vote for a third force in a by election.
But politics does not work that way.
In past elections, the third force, which logically is Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), has been trampled in the fight between two elephants.
In the upcoming by-election for the Ayer Kuning state seat in Perak, called for April 26 following the death of the incumbent, the battle between two prominent political alliances with a small party in the middle is set to play out.
It will be Umno of the Madani government, which in Peninsular Malaysia consists of Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional coalitions, versus PAS of Perikatan, which dominates the Malay seats, with PSM as the third force.
In 2022, Barisan’s Umno won Ayer Kuning with 9,088 votes against Pakatan’s Amanah, which received 6,875; PAS of Perikatan won 6,812; PSM won 586; and Pejuang won 105 votes.
I posed the following question to PSM deputy chairman S. Arutchelvan: “The basic assumption is some Pakatan supporters are unhappy with the Madani government and will vote for a third force as they won’t want to vote Perikatan. But it seems this theory is too idealistic, as PSM tends not to get the protest vote. Why is that?”
“It goes back to the first-past-the-post system. That is why Mahathir, who was twice prime minister and built Langkawi, lost his deposit in that parliamentary seat because he was not in a coalition. So that is why people vote for one of the bigger coalitions,” he said.
Arutchelvan was referring to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who contested on the Pejuang ticket and received 4,566 votes against Perikatan’s 25,463 votes; Barisan’s 11,945; and Pakatan’s 5,417 in the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022.
Arutchelvan explained that PSM gained more traction in some Pakatan areas in Ayer Kuning in 2022, where Pakatan’s Amanah candidate stood. In the upcoming by-election, he noted that Pakatan is not standing as Umno would represent the Madani government, and the Perak Mentri Besar is from Umno.
“So why not vote for PSM as this election has no significance in the state and national politics for Pakatan supporters,” he said.
However, Arutchelvan conceded that it would be more difficult for PSM to get votes on issues like institutional reform and national sentiments like corruption, the economy, and foreign policy in a rural seat like Ayer Kuning.
“Nevertheless, PSM is hoping that social media will narrow the gaps,” he said, as people are coming to grips with the idea that they aren’t happy with all the big parties. “We hope our track record will help people make better choices,” he added.
What per cent of the votes did the PSM deputy chairman forecast his party could obtain?
“Others have written us off as usual, but daily, we see people hoping to teach the Madani government a lesson. Do you vote Perikatan to teach them [Madani] a lesson, or do you want to do something more radical yet principled, like voting PSM?” he said.
“As we have said before, it will be an uphill task for a party like PSM to win a first-past-the-post situation, which always benefits the top two parties.”
Arutchelvan said PSM’s hope is that if the people want to hear a new voice in the Perak assembly, if the people want to cast protest votes, and if the young voters want to teach the Madani government a lesson, then a miracle could happen.
“No party goes into an election to lose. So we shall go there to win. Fighting against the odds has always been PSM’s struggle, and we never give up,” he said.
“It took 10 years to even register our party. So if we do better than the last time, that is good. If we get back our deposit, that would be fantastic. If we win, I guess GE16 will see some hope for a third force coming to power. Che Guevara said, ‘Let’s be realistic and do the impossible’.”
Still a little wet-behind-the-ears party Muda is supporting PSM in the Ayer Kuning by-election, and I asked Arutchelvan how much support the PSM candidate could get from young voters with such support, especially as Muda’s Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and singer and actress Bella Astillah are seemingly in love. Their romance – whether real or fake – is popular among young voters and aunties.
“Ha, ha, ha… May the SS and Bella romance charm get us votes in Ayer Kuning. All the parties are going for young voters, who make up a significant number in the seat,” he said, referring to Syed Saddiq as SS.
“PSM feels younger voters are quite fed up with politics, and we want to impress upon them that PSM and Muda are the progressive, non-racial voices that more idealist younger voters should go for. They should cast their votes for us rather than just boycott the election.”
Whether PSM can tap into the recent Madani masjid/temple controversy or not, Arutchelvan said he felt that Indian voters are angry with the unity government and might cast protest votes. He noted that Chinese voters have been going for the lesser evil as the “green wave” – Perikatan’s green flags – worries them.
“This means they will vote Umno instead of PAS. But is Akmal of Umno a lesser evil?” he said, referring to Umno Youth Chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who has been infamously quick to whip up feelings online over purported racial and religious slights.
By now, though, Arutchelvan should know that politics does not work that way.