MCA-Umno tension worsens with Chua joining the fray
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, Free Malaysia Today
The wedge between Umno and its Chinese allies appears to be deepening with MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek lashing out against leaders from the Malay party for its failure to acknowledge its weaknesses which he said would cause MCA’s “doom”.
Chua also made an unprecedented statement certain to hit raw Umno nerves when he said that MCA wouldn’t mind sharing similar views with rivals DAP for the benefit of the community and choose to run away from making a stand.
The statement was apparently made against Umno leaders and particularly vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein who warned MCA yesterday against deviating from Barisan Nasional’s struggle.
“Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein’s statement yesterday that MCA should not forget the struggle of Barisan Nasional when fighting for the Chinese’s demands, shows that some Barisan Nasional leaders have yet to learn from the (last) general election and do not understand the urge of the people to reform,” he said in a statement issued today.
Chua said the outcome of last general election which saw BN performed dismally signalled a need for change and that MCA must follow suit to remain relevant among the voters.
If this requires MCA to stick it out against Umno in terms of championing the interest of the Chinese community, so be it said Chua.
“MCA will not run away from speaking up for the Chinese community… if some Barisan Nasional leaders continue to live in their own world, they will certainly push MCA to its doom and it will not bring the ruling coalition any good.”
“The new MCA leadership strongly believe that its political struggle is totally reasonable and legal,” he said, adding that his party will push hard for the implementation of the 13 resolutions passed during the Chinese Economic Congress held on Saturday.
The bold resolutions call on the Najib administration to liberalise the economy further, with some calling for the gradual removal of the 30 percent Bumiputera corporate equity and the increase participation of non-Malays in government linked companies.
The calls made were a break from tradition where MCA would often prefer to discuss on such sensitive matter behind closed doors.
Having a different voice
This suggests a shift in MCA’s stance and the Chinese party, which is drastically losing support, is doing whatever it takes to regain the trust and votes of the nation’s second biggest ethnic electorate even if it has to defy Umno’s ways of doing things.
But Chua maintained that the difference in opinion does not necessitate a rift between the country’s two major parties.
“MCA respects the view of Hishammuddin but he cannot blame MCA for deviating from the objectives and struggles of Barisan Nasional simply because MCA has a different voice from him or other component party leaders,” he said.
“MCA reckons that it has the responsibility to reflect the wishes of the Chinese community due to globalisation. Otherwise, not only MCA will lose the community’s support, it will not be able to also justify its political existence,” added the former health minister.
