MCA Raps Hisham

MCA raps Hishammuddin for questioning loyalty

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

August 16, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 — MCA vice-president Datuk Chor Chee Heung criticised Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein today for questioning the party’s loyalty to Barisan Nasional (BN).
It was reported that the Umno vice-president had “reminded MCA to stick with the struggles” of BN.
Chor stressed the MCA has always been loyal to BN and never abandoned Umno.
“MCA has consistently showed its loyalty to BN. In times when Umno had encountered difficulties in the 1980s and 1990s, MCA never abandoned them. Nevertheless, we also have to take cognizance that such a statement from a coalition partner which hinges on political hegemony causes voters to turn away from BN,” he said.
He said the party has always respected the country’s Constitution and had never questioned the special position of the Malay community.
“MCA has never questioned the special position of the Malays as outlined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.
“MCA recognises the noble objective of the NEP which was to eradicate poverty regardless of ethnic background. However, in echoing the words of CIMB Group CEO Datuk Nazir Razak where he said that the NEP’s ‘implementation has been hijacked by self-interest groups’, these weaknesses have to be rectified,” Chor (picture) said in a press statement.
The housing and local government minister said his party believes that affirmative action should not be based on race but on needs and merit.
“Malaysia cannot escape the realities of globalisation, and MCA remains committed towards meritocracy to boost our national competitiveness as well as productivity,” he said.
Tension has been brewing between the two BN component parties as the MCA tries to reaffirm its position in the Chinese community.
The war of words began when the MCA called on Hishammuddin to use his authority to rescind the ban on the non-Muslims’ use of the word “Allah” after the home minister admitted that the decision was regrettable.
The appeal led to a stern warning by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who said that the MCA had to accept the decision of the government and not trigger another debate on the word “Allah”.
The Umno deputy president also questioned the MCA’s intention in sharing the same platform with the DAP.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek explained that the MCA was merely echoing the wishes of non-governmental organisation Christian Federation of Malaysia after a dialogue with it during the party’s presidential council.
However only three days later, Dr Chua criticised Umno as well as PAS for using religion to compete for Malay support and claimed that the competition between the two Malay-centric parties had led to some “non-progressive policies” which had caused the country to be caught in a middle-income trap for more than 10 years.
This led to Umno leaders firing back at Dr Chua and accusing him of trying to shift racial politics into religious politics and claimed that his statement would cause unrest in the country.
The MCA defended Dr Chua and claimed that its president’s remark was taken out of context.
On Saturday, the MCA’s Chinese Economic Congress called for economic liberalisation and that a merit-based and needs-based system would contribute to the path for Malaysia to be globally competitive.
However, the congress was only given scant attention in major Malay newspapers.
Chor said BN must be progressive and no longer practise “behind-the-scenes consultation”.
“When there is an injustice or discrimination (whether real or imagined) be it in government guidelines, policies, enforcement by authorities or questionable judicial rulings, the public expects MCA along with other political parties to take a stand and speak up.”
MCA has been increasingly vocal on issues affecting the Chinese community, suggesting that the second largest party in the ruling BN coalition is no longer content to be a junior partner.
The Malaysian Insider understands that there is also a growing anger among MCA leaders over the recent prosecution of former party president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.