Labour Party of Malaya Parti Buruh Malaya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | Lab, LPM |
| Founded | June 1952 |
| Dissolved | 6 September 1972 |
| Preceded by | Pan-Malayan Labour Party |
| Youth wing | Socialist Youth League of Malaya |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| National affiliation | Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front (1957–66) United Front (1966) |
| International affiliation | Socialist International (1952–1966)[1][2] Asian Socialist Conference |
| Colours | Red, white |
| This article is part ofa series on the |
| Politics of Malaysia |
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TheLabour Party of Malaya (Malay:Parti Buruh Malaya;abbrev.LPM) was aleft-wingpolitical party in theFederation of Malaya and laterMalaysia, active from 1952 to 1972. It originated as a confederation of state-based labour parties under the namePan-Malayan Labour Party (PMLP). As a component of theMalayan Peoples' Socialist Front, the party reached its electoral peak in 1959, but its influence rapidly declined after most of its leadership was detained for political reasons.[3]
The LPM's roots lay in the state labour parties that were established after the British government announced plans to organiselocal elections in 1950.
In 1952, representatives from the state parties, 21 trade unions and the Malay left-leaning organisation Syarikat Berkerjasama Am Saiburi (Saberkas) met inKuala Lumpur and decided to form the PMLP. This organisation initially took ananti-communist stand but was not overtlyanti-colonial.
The LPM's founding constitution demanded immediateself-government for Malaya, liberal citizenship laws, the Malayanization of the civil service, a planned economy, greater democratic justice and agrarian reform. The LPM also proposed for the abolishment ofspecial privileges for any ethnic group, federal nationality to supersede state nationality, the use ofMalay as the national language andEnglish as a second language, the merger ofSingapore with theFederation of Malaya, the limiting the powers of theMalay rulers, an electedpresidency, and a secular state.
The party joined theSocialist International of like-minded left-wing parties in 1956.[4][5]
The party chairman Lee Moke Sang was forced to resign as public servants were barred from political office.D.S. Ramanathan became the new chairman.[6] With the rise of more radicalsocialist leadership, the positions gradually took a more anti-colonial form and in June 1954, the organisation was renamed the LPM.[7]
The LPM was routed in theFederal legislative elections of 1955 and failed to gain any seats. The LPM, however, managed to capture the City Council ofGeorgetown inPenang in the 1958 local elections with a majority of eight seats.
The party identified itself as a non-communal party. It considered that the Alliance government represented capitalist and feudal groups.[8]
In view of the changed circumstances after the independence of Malaya in 1957, the LPM amended its constitution in 1959 to strive for the establishment of a united democratic socialist state of Malaya and to secure for the workers who work by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible, upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service (the latter part essentially mirroring the thenClause IV of the British Labour Party's constitution).
The party had a youth wing called the Socialist Youth League of Malaya.[9]
The Labour Party entered into a coalition with the similarly left wingParti Rakyat Malaysia. The coalition was called the Malayan Peoples' Socialist Front. In the 1959 elections the Socialist Front captured 8 parliamentary seats.
Six were won by the Labour Party, which wereDato' Kramat (Lim Kean Siew),Seberang Selatan (Veerappen Veerathan),Tanjong (Tan Phock Kin),Bangsar (V. David),Batu (Ng Ann Teck) andRawang (Liu Yoong Peng).
Two more were won by Parti Rakyat inSetapak (Ahmad Boestamam) andDamansara (Karam Singh Veriah).
The SF progressed particularly in mixed constituencies in Selangor, Johor and Penang where it gained 34.6 per cent of the popular vote cast in the constituencies it contested.
Led by the Labour Party, the Socialist Front managed to gain 13 out of 14 seats in George Town, Penang during the 1961 Local Elections. In Melaka, PRM'sHasnul Abdul Hadi led the Socialist Front to take over the municipal council there.
The SF was further strengthened when the former Minister of Agriculture,Aziz Ishak, brought hisNational Convention Party into the coalition.[10]
In 1963, shortly after the events of theIndonesia-Malaysia confrontation, the government took action against numerous Socialist Front politicians and activists.
The SF was seen as pro-Indonesia and pro-China,[11][12] causing the Socialist Front leader's arrest. Among those detained and arrested wereAhmad Boestamam (PRM president),Ishak Haji Muhammad (PBM president), NCP leadersAbdul Aziz Ishak and DatukKampo Radjo (later to become president of the PRM) and PRM'sKamarulzaman Teh.[13]
In the1964 General Elections, the Socialist Front lost 6 seats and managed to retain only two seats through Lim Kean Siew andTan Chee Khoon. PRM and the NCP failed to gain any seats at all.[14]
On Feb 13, 1965, more SF leaders such asTan Kai Hee,Tan Phock Kin, Dr.M.K. Rajakumar,Hasnul Abdul Hadi andTajuddin Kahar, and hundreds of others were detained after mass demonstrations were held inKuala Lumpur in conjunction with the second anniversary of the detention of Ahmad Boestamam and others to oppose the mass arrests of activists and leaders of the SF under theInternal Security Act (ISA) and the alleged involvement in "subversive" activities.[15][16]
Aside from the detentions, the SF also suffered from the cancellation of local government elections. Disputes between the two parties resulted inPRM leaving the coalition in December 1965,[17] while the NCP soon become inactive.
The Labour Party, the only party in SF that held seats, abandoned it on 10 January 1966 and reverted to its own banner.[18]In May 1966, the Labour Party was expelled for the Socialist International on the grounds of its increased radicalisation.[19]
In 1968, many Labour Party leaders left the party to team up with Lim Chong Eu'sUnited Democratic Party to formGerakan. The party eventually wound down and dissolved in 1972.[20]
| Election | Total seats won | Seats contested | Total votes | Share of votes | Outcome of election | Election leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 0 / 52 | 31 | 4,786 | 0.48% |  ;No representation in Legislative Council | D. S. Ramanathan |
| 1959 | 6 / 104 | 31 |  6 seats;Opposition coalition(Socialist Front) | Ishak Mohammad | ||
| 1964 | 2 / 159 | 33 |  4 seats;Opposition coalition(Socialist Front) | Tan Chee Khoon |
| State election | State Legislative Assembly | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kedah | Kelantan | Penang | Perak | Pahang | Selangor | Negeri Sembilan | Malacca | Johor | Total won / Total contested | |
| 2/3 majority | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 3 | |
| 1955 | 0 / 14 | 0 / 13 | 0 / 12 | 0 / 3 | ||||||
| 1959 | 0 / 24 | 0 / 30 | 7 / 24 | 0 / 40 | 0 / 24 | 1 / 28 | 3 / 24 | 0 / 20 | 3 / 32 | 14 / 48 |
| 1964 | 0 / 24 | 2 / 24 | 0 / 40 | 0 / 24 | 3 / 28 | 0 / 24 | 2 / 20 | 0 / 32 | 7 / 89 | |
