The party was formed by
Tan Chee Khoon,
Syed Hussein Alatas and
Veerappen Veerathan in 1972 after
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia 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 was a non-communal party and formed based on principles similar to the original Gerakan. They were joined by another Gerakan MP
V. David. Despite this, Tan supported the controversial government-supported
New Economic Policy, 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 19 July 1974, the smaller
Parti Marhaen Malaysia, which was led by former
Socialist Front leader
Ahmad Boestamam, merged into the party. This boosted the party’s support among urban Malays. In the
1974 general election, PEKEMAS suffered a terrible defeat, with Tan being the only successful candidate out of 36 candidates for Parliament, while Ong Yi How was the only winner in state polls, winning in
Bagan Jermal. 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 and the
Sarawak National Party 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 Parliamentary seat until his term expired the next year. The party’s demise was also hastened by the defection of its chairman Ahmad Boestamam back to the
Parti Rakyat Malaysia 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. ==List of PEKEMAS leaders==