Tee Keat: MCA Will Not Blindly Please Chinese Community
By YAN PEISHAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said MCA would not blindly please the Chinese community just because it wanted to secure the support of the Chinese community.
"It's not easy to please someone. All you need is a sweet mouth and to do something to make other people instantly happy.
"Nevertheless, MCA wants the Chinese community to see the long-term issues and hidden concerns, and will lead them to understand the issues at different levels."
He pointed out that MCA used to be an integral part of the Chinese community, but what he worried most about the Chinese community today is not its dwindling political power, but the regression of its overall competitiveness.
He said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily in conjunction with the Chinese New Year that as a part of the Chinese community, MCA should work hard for the long-term well-being of the entire nation and community in a bid to "woo" the Chinese community.
However, he lamented that even though MCA had tried incessantly to "woo" the Chinese community, the entire community seemed to be indifferent to the party's effort to enhance the competitiveness of the Chinese community.
As for whether the Chinese community is still throwing its full support behind the party, Tee Keat said it would be premature to pass a verdict now without the backing of any public survey, adding that the Chinese community might be supporting MCA on certain agendas but opposing it on others.
He said although there are people trying to alienate MCA from the Chinese community, even to force them into a confrontation, it is an unchangeable fact that MCA is one with the Chinese community.
"These people might have their own hidden agendas, but the fact is, from top down, MCA has been an integral part of the Chinese community."
He felt that the Chinese community should have the capability to make its own judgements instead of grumbling and feeling dejected.
