MCA is Still Stuck in Politics 101

ARCHIVES 2010

By admin-s On May 25, 2010

MCA President Chua Soi Lek wants his party to champion the rights of Chinese Malaysian community. Chua said MCA has been too conservative, which has led to the wrong impression that the party “does not dare speak out”.

By Khoo Kay Peng

As usual, the party sends a 100-page memorandum to the PM articulating the needs of the community. Chua said that he was willing to risk being scolded for requesting RM1 billion for vernacular Chinese schools and new villages.

The proposals in the memorandum include:

RM15 million in development funds and RM15 million in maintenance allocation for Chinese Independent High Schools
Recognition of the UEC certificate
Build 10 new Chinese primary schools and identify 15 sites for the relocation of such schools
RM500 million for new villages, for local development, and activities to bridge the gap between the government and Chinese Malaysian youth
List all sub-service areas that don’t require the 30 percent bumiputera quota, and prevent civil servants from imposing this restriction privately
Implement a minimum wage for various industrial sectors
Set a limit on foreign workers in various industries, based on needs
Reshape the subsidy mechanism, assuring that only the poor benefit from this
Draft a law stating that marriages under civil law can only be relieved under civil law, thereby preventing disputes arising from religious conversion
Amend the Universities and University Colleges Act to allow students to participate in politics, although they should be prevented from holding party posts

The content of the memorandum suggested that Chua and his party are outdated and are still stuck in Politics 101.

Chua should be ashamed of his leadership if he gets a tongue lashing from the PM for requesting a miserable sum of RM1 billion. It is minuscule compared to the PKFZ financial fiasco which allegedly involved a number of MCA top leaders. Ironically, Chua was successful in the party power grab when the incumbent president was toppled partly for his role in trying to unmask those who were involved in the scandal.

MCA should not even send a memorandum. It should send an ultimatum to the coalition government which it is enjoying a cozy power sharing with UMNO. Ignore the Chinese Malaysian community at UMNO’s peril.