Tee Keat: BN parties must be independent

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional component parties must be independent and have the autonomy to express their views, said MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

He said these elements were important as they would determine whether or not these parties could play an effective role in the Government and how strong they were in the coalition.

“It is the people’s basic requirement of a component party and this is how we build our integrity to win the support of the people,” he said when opening the Federal Territories MCA state convention 2009 here yesterday.

He said a component party that made no demand or had no stand but simply became a “yes man” that agreed on everything within the coalition could hardly earn the trust of the people.

“It will become like ji le (chicken ribs in Mandarin). It does not serve any purpose if it were kept but it would be too wasteful if it were discarded,” he said.

Ong said another crucial element that would bring down a party was using external force to solve its internal affairs.

Citing the example of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng when he was asked who he would appoint as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister, Ong said Lim did not have his own opinion but had to consult PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Ong also commended the Federal Territories members for being loyal to the party even after its defeat at the March 8 general election, when it lost all its parliamentary seats.

“Loyalty cannot be tested during happy and peaceful times. Only when times are bad will we see who are the ones who truly love the party and stay with it,” he said.

Earlier, at the opening of the Selangor MCA state convention 2009, Ong said the healing time and lowest point of the party was over.

“We must have the confidence to stand up from where we have fallen,” he said.