‘Umno is the real MCA opponent’
(FMT) – MCA has to engage in a daily tug-of-war with Umno at all administrative levels, and the party will only be popular if it stood up against Umno, says sacked MCA man Lee Hwa Beng.
Former three-term Subang Jaya assemblyman Lee Hwa Beng said Umno is the real opponent of the MCA and only by standing up against the Malay party will it get the support of the Chinese.
Lee, who was sacked from MCA recently, said the party had to engage in a daily tug-of-war with Umno at all administrative levels.
“Our real opponent is not DAP as we only face the opposition party once every five years. Our real opponent is Umno.
“Every day at local, state or federal level, we have to face them. We have to stand up against them if not they keep eroding our (Chinese) rights.
“The more you stand up against Umno, the better received you are by the Chinese community.
“The moment you ‘kowtow’ to them, the Chinese will run away from MCA,” he told FMT in an exclusive interview recently.
He said even the MCA leadership reckoned the dilemma.
“After the general election in 2008 and MCA was only left with 15 parliamentary seats, (the then MCA president) Ong Ka Ting told me he has to resign from the cabinet because he cannot be effective with that little representation.
“He said for sure he will be bullied by Umno. That’s why he resigned,” said Lee.
Lee’s statement underlined the love-hate relationship between the many race-based parties in Barisan Nasional.
MCA and Umno on one hand have to stick together for political interest but on the other, both parties cannot compromise on issues and are determined to champion the interest of their own race.
Lee said Umno needed the MCA to avoid a regime change.
“Under the circumstances, it is important for MCA to get rid of the president, Dr Chua Soi Lek, who is handicapped because of his involvement in a sex scandal.
“Chua has committed oral sex in the video and it is a Penal Code offence. So this has made him a lame duck. The moment he opens his mouth, Umno can use this to threaten him,” he said.
He also criticised Chua for allegedly being weak by surrendering several MCA seats to other BN component parties in the last general election.
Umno will lose support
On the future outlook of MCA, the former MCA central committee member said: “Sadly, the ball lies on Umno’s court”.
Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/10/17/umno-is-the-real-mca-opponent/
