The Mindset Of The MCA From An Outside Perspective
The MCA is a party representing the rich upper crust of the Chinese community in Malaysia. Since most people want to be rich, the MCA can claim to represent most Chinese in Malaysia. This is a contentious statement but it is accepted by UMNO and is therefore good enough for the MCA.
By batsman
It is a well known fact that political parties represent class trends and mindsets. The mindset of a curiosity known as the MCA needs to be analysed and understood to prepare people for the unexpected and often seemingly irrational actions it does.
The MCA is a party representing the rich upper crust of the Chinese community in Malaysia. Since most people want to be rich, the MCA can claim to represent most Chinese in Malaysia. This is a contentious statement but it is accepted by UMNO and is therefore good enough for the MCA.
That is the second factor that seems to determine the mindset of the MCA. It unquestioningly accepts the overlordship of UMNO. Why is this so?
This can be understood from the condition of Chinese community in Malaysia. They are in the minority and are also newly minted citizens who have not been fully accepted by the natives yet or fully integrated into a single Malaysian identity. The rich Chinese feel even more isolated and ever jealous of their wealth against upstart newcomers from within the Chinese community itself as well as their covetous Malay masters.
In a way it also feels some sense of guilt and betrayal to the Chinese community for having accepted the wholesale repatriation of millions of Chinese immigrants back to China during the 50’s without a whimper. This puts it in the position of a cornered dog.
The MCA therefore seems to accept a glass ceiling that it never challenges – UMNO overlordship. This is a fact of life that seems to have burned itself into its psyche.
As such the MCA mainly concerns itself in practical matters such as the competition for wealth and power within the MCA itself. This creates an exceptional high level of intra-party quarrels while it cowers before UMNO.
On a national level, it uses it technical and commercial skills to help UMNO plunder for a cut in the proceeds, while on the political side its role is to help UMNO keep political and government power.
This of course creates high levels of resentment against its UMNO masters, so there is a sort of love-hate relationship that goes on. On the one hand it loves UMNO for allowing it to be a crony and to take a cut in the plunder. On the other hand it hates and looks down on UMNO for relying on it for technical and commercial matters. This resentment is normally never expressed openly for it would be suicidal, but it is often expressed secretively as denigration and hatred for Malays. Coincidentally this behaviour also contributes to UMNO divide and rule tactics using racial antagonisms so it is tolerated by UMNO.
The MCA seems to see itself as better than the Malays at the same time under the thumb of the Malays. This forces it to seek salvation and nominal protection in the form of even more powerful masters such as the British with whom it colluded to send millions of Chinese back to China as mentioned earlier and Americans who are the new world superpower. Therefore as a last resort, when its individual supporters or members feel crushed by the stress and tension of being the gofer of UMNO, they say good bye and emigrate with almost a sense of relieve.
During the 12th GE, something unexpected happened. Some individual members of MCA as well as the bulk of the Chinese community turned against the MCA in response to MCA non-action and seeming collusion with UMNO arrogance at screaming and threats to shed Chinese blood. This behaviour crossed a line in the sand.
The Chinese can be puppets and collaborators in almost all situations since they are in the minority and have no political power, but threats against Chinese lives and genocide is not acceptable. The Chinese have to go through all sorts of denigration and bullying just to be left alone in peace, to make a decent living, to pay their taxes as well as pay into the coffers of their masters and corrupt officials, but once their masters turn to genocidal threats, the logic of the situation demands that it is no longer worthwhile to continue to kowtow.
UMNO realized it mistake and pulled back. It launched a seduction campaign known as 1Malaysia to win back its cash cows, but since it is not as effective just to use the carrot without using the stick, it uses organizations such as Perkasa to show the threats are after all a fact of life – only made by another organization – not UMNO. Of course there is also the already famous use of the police, the judiciary, the MACC and assorted racists and fanatics placed in positions of power.
The Chinese community is therefore being placed in a difficult position. The latest quarrel within the MCA represents this discomfort – whether to press the advantage of the 12th GE to try and gain some permanent leverage or to run back and surrender completely to UMNO.
This is real question and has crucial and important repercussions. The Chinese have to decide whether the retreat of UMNO is honest and a real desire to forged greater equality with the Chinese or is it just a retreating wave preparing for an even bigger oncoming wave that will wash away what rights the Chinese already have.
In association with this, the Chinese community has to decide whether the alliance it forged with the Malay opposition during the 12th GE is strong enough to change the Malaysian situation into one of more permanent equanimity in addition to greater equality with a healthy 2 party system and effective checks and balances, greater respect for the rule of law and greater sportsmanship and less viciousness / violence in politics, less corruption and bribes to pay, less abuse of power, fairer implementation of bureaucracy without regard to race and religion, etc.
What do you think? Will the Chinese be satisfied with the speeches of UMNO leaders or will they struggle on to achieve institutional reforms and build stronger institutions that can guarantee what they wish for in life and politics?
