Bawani S Ayer Kuning Bid Crucial For Putting Socialism On The National Agenda

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From Kua Kia Soong
Listen! Malaysia stands at a crossroads. Decades of neoliberal policies, racial politicking, and empty reformist promises have left the working class, the B40, and even the struggling M40 behind. The time has come for a radical shift in our political discourse – one that centres on socialist policies to address systemic inequality, corruption, and economic injustice.
KS Bawani running for the Ayer Kuning state seat is not just symbolic – it is a crucial wake-up call for Malaysia to embrace socialism as the only viable alternative to our failing system.
Here are three reasons why her campaign must be the spark that ignites this change:
1. The decay of neoliberalism
The West’s neoliberal economic order – championed by figures like US president Donald Trump – has exposed its own contradictions: rampant inequality, corporate greed, and the collapse of public welfare. Meanwhile, China’s socialist path has lifted 800 million out of poverty, built world-class infrastructure, and positioned itself as a global leader in technology and green energy.
Malaysia has long been trapped in a neocolonial mindset, relying on foreign capital and privatisation while our workers suffer low wages and poor labour rights. Bawani’s socialist platform challenges this by advocating:
Public ownership of key industries – energy, transport, healthcareStrong labour protections and living wagesA planned economy that prioritises people over profitsChina’s remarkable success proves that socialism works. Malaysia must learn from this – not cling to a dying Western model that only benefits the elite.
2. Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government has betrayed ‘reformasi’
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan promised an end to racism, corruption, and neoliberal exploitation. Yet, under his unity government:
Race-based policies remain untouched, with Umno’s ethno nationalist agenda still dictating politics.
Corruption persists, with no serious action against the big fish who have escaped the attorney-general’s selective prosecution.
Poverty eradication is a joke, with cash handouts replacing structural reforms.
Anwar has proven that liberal reformism within capitalism cannot fix Malaysia’s core problems. Bawani’s campaign represents a real break from this betrayal – a movement that refuses to compromise with the elites and demands systemic change through socialist policies.
3. Malaysia’s wealth inequality is a time bomb – socialism is the answer
The B40 struggle to survive while the M40 are one crisis away from poverty. Meanwhile, the T10 hoard wealth, aided by tax cuts and corporate handouts.
Bawani’s socialist agenda offers real solutions: progressive taxation to fund universal healthcare and education; a wealth tax to redistribute resources from the ultra-rich to the working class; price controls and subsidies on essentials (food, housing, utilities); and workers’ cooperatives, organised labour and state-led industrial policy to ensure fair wages and job security.
Without socialism, Malaysia’s wealth gap will keep exploding, leading to deeper social unrest. Bawani’s campaign is a rallying cry for the oppressed – a demand to put people over profits.
Her run in Ayer Kuning is more than an election bid – it’s a challenge to Malaysia’s entire political establishment. The failures of neoliberalism, Anwar’s broken promises, and the explosive wealth gap prove that only socialism can deliver justice.
If we want a Malaysia that works for the many – not the few – we must rally behind socialist candidates like Bawani. The change starts now. - FMT
Kua Kia Soong is an academic and former MP.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.

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