... which isn't, of course, to say that I agree with everything Nik Aziz says

Just because I wrote a nice review of his book two days ago, I am not one of those who think that any politician is ever maksum (without sin); on the contrary, politicians -- who are ever-conscious of playing to the gallery -- are, as a species, guiltier than most of us when it comes to dodgy statements. 

The fact that Nik Aziz himself has 10 pages in the combined volumes of Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things proves that he is not, and should never be, exempt from the scrutiny we devote to the rest of his tribe. 

I concur with the statement by Parti Sosialis Malaysia below. I should also add that PAS itself, especially in the 1960s, had 'socialist' tendencies or at least sympathies too. I recommend Chapter 2 of Islam Embedded for further reading.

With all due respect to the PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, PSM condemns his statement likening UMNO has a socialist party because it rejects Islam. The spiritual leader should know better about socialism before making such a comment. Unfortunately Nik Aziz too has fallen into the same trap of the Barisan Nasional government to demonise socialism. The ruling government has successfully condemned socialism and labelled it as anti religion for a long time.

Socialism does not propagate anti religion or violence. Socialism is the only ideology and economic model that challenges capitalism. The capitalist BN government realises this fact , and thus will go all out to bad mouth socialism in an attempt to shield away the genuine principles of socialism from the rakyat.

In brief socialism stands for a classless society where there will be no oppressor and oppresed. The resources of nation should be shared with the rakyat and not controlled by a few capitalists. Socialism stresses on workers struggle so that the production wealth of the nation benefits the rakyat .Workers should be  paid decent wages, and their rights be taken care of escpecially during economic crisis.
 
Socialism is against privatisation of public facilities such as water, electricity, health and education. The current problems with Barisan Nasional-led neoliberal policies since the reign of Tun Mahathir has left the rakyat paying for his privatisation policies.
 
Enough of demonising socialism! The wise PAS spiritual leader should understand this and refrain from accusing socialism of  being anti religion if he does not understand the true principles of  socialism.

A. Sivarajan

National Treasurer  
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)