Don’t confuse Marxism with communism, IGP told

 Parti Sosialis Malaysia leader S. Arutchelvan believes Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar does not understand the tenets of Marxism. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 28, 2016. 

The inspector-general of police should not confuse Marxism with communism, as the main point of Marxist ideology is the criticism against capitalism, said Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader S. Arutchelvan.

In a response to Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar's claim that PSM was attempting to revive communist ideologies through a course on Marxism scheduled for next month, Arutchelvan said the course was open to the public and not held underground.

"Among the main topics of the course is Marxism's criticism on the capitalist system, and also discussions on the failure of iron-fisted communist countries.

 "It will also discuss the new phenomenon in England and United States where Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour party and Bernie Sanders, the US Democrat candidate, are among those who supported the Marxist theory and its relevance to the world today," Arutchelvan said.

Khalid tweeted earlier today that the police will not allow the course on Marxism planned for next month and that the organisers will be called up.

But Arutchelvan said the warning could be a ploy to divert the people's attention from the main issues plaguing the country, especially the cracks in Umno and the worsening economy.

"This again is an attack on our democratic rights and freedom of speech.

"Malaysia's history is full of scripts where the left wing is always victimised every time the country's leadership is facing a crisis.

"PSM will fight this wild allegation," he said, adding that they would give their cooperation to the police if called up.

Arutchelvan said that this was not the first time the party was branded with spreading communism, adding that in 2011, 6 of their members were detained for a month over the charge under the Emergency Ordinance.

"They were all released without being charged.

"PSM then sued the police for making the allegation and in the end, the government had to pay us RM200,000 in compensation after admitting to their mistake," he said.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court in October 2013 ordered the government to pay the six PSM members held RM200,000 in settlement of the lawsuit filed by them over  false imprisonment and misfeasance.

The six were detained on June 25, 2011 on charges of treason against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and were released on July 2 when their remand period expired. They were again arrested under the (now repealed) Emergency Ordinance and freed 27 days later.

In the March 23, 2012 suit, Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, M. Sukumaran, A. P. Letchumanan, Choo Chon Kai, M. Saraswathy and R. R. Sarat Babu had named 82 defendants, including IGP Khalid and his deputy, the government, the Home Ministry, the attorney-general, a deputy public prosecutor, as well as 60 police officers.

- TMI