Malaysian Social Justice Party
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Malaysian Social Justice Party
Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia PEKEMAS |
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| Abbreviation | PEKEMAS |
| Founder |
Veerappen Veerathan Tan Chee Khoon Syed Hussein Alatas |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Dissolved | 1982 |
| Split from | Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia |
| Merged into | Parti Marhaen Malaysia (19 July 1974) |
| Headquarters | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Ideology | Practical Socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| Colours | Red, White, and Green |
Malaysian Social Justice Party or (Malay: Parti Keadilan Masyarakat Malaysia) (PEKEMAS) was a former party formed by Tan Chee Khoon and Syed Hussein Alatas in 1972. On 19 July 1974, Parti Marhaen Malaysia merged with the party. The party was dissolved in 1982.
The party were formed by Tan Chee Khoon, Syed Hussein Alatas and Veerappen Veerathan in 1972 after Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) co-founder Lim Chong Eu led Gerakan into the newly expanded Alliance (renamed as the Barisan Nasional or National Front). Tan strongly opposed this move because he felt it endorsed the race-based parties in Barisan Nasional.PEKEMAS is noted as a non-communal party and were formed based on principles similar to Gerakan. Them were joined by 2 others Gerakan MPs, V. David and Veerappen. Despite this, Tan supported the controversial government-supported New Economic Policy (NEP), which expanded the privileges given to Bumiputra (Malays and other indigenous people) under Article 153 of the Constitution because he felt tougher affirmative action was required to address Malay poverty. On July 19, 1974, Parti Marhaen Malaysia merged with the party.
In the 1974 general election, PEKEMAS suffered a terrible defeat, with Tan being the only successful candidate out of 36 candidates for Parliament. PEKEMAS' campaign against the government was predicated on denying them the requisite 2/3 majority for amending the Constitution, which Tan opposed. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) became the largest opposition parties in Parliament, with nine seats each. This effectively hamstrung Tan's and PEKEMAS' agenda in Parliament. Tan announced his retirement from politics in 1977, although he held his Parliament and Selangor State Assembly seats until their terms expired the next year.The party influence started to wear out in 1978 due to the defection of its chairman, Ahmad Boestamam to Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) after 1978 general elections. The party further shrank in 1979 due to most of PEKEMAS' supporters defecting to the DAP. It managed to field a candidate in the 1982 general elections before its dissolution.
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