Tee: MCA should leave BN

(The Star) – MCA deputy presidential candidate Datuk Tee Siew Kiong has offered to meet with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed and discuss how the party can cooperate for the betterment of the Chinese community.

He added that this cooperation would be based on the principle that MCA was an independent party and not a lackey to anyone.

“MCA is not sick or dying. I believe that once we leave Barisan Nasional, we will be able to regain the respect of the Chinese community as we are doing this for political stability in Malaysia.

“Anyway, we are a strong party with over a million members and I am confident we can bring up the party again,” he said in an interview here yesterday.

Tee, who is Johor MCA deputy chairman, said that MCA’s strength was its members who stayed loyal to the party and did not leave in droves after its loss in GE14.

He added that MCA also was a structured organisation with vast experiences of reaching grassroots and village folks, which some parties in Pakatan were unable to do.

Asked whether MCA members might not be happy with him working with Dr Mahathir, Tee added that in any party there would be people with different opinions.

“So far based on my visits to 160 MCA divisions nationwide, many support our plan to take MCA out of Barisan as MCA lost in GE14 due to problems and issues plaguing our coalition partner,” he added.

Tee, 54, explained that he and Gan felt MCA needed drastic reforms to stay relevant to serve the Chinese community.

“Whatever the outcome on Nov 4 at the party polls, MCA can no longer have any division among its leaders and I urge everyone to close ranks.

“Gan and I have also pledged to appoint our opponents Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon to important decision making positions in the party,” Tee added.

He hoped that the delegates would give him an opportunity as he has been a party member for 35 years and has worked himself up from the bottom including holding posts at the branch, division, state party leadership and government.

Tee said MCA would continue to be a race-based party similar to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

Asked how things will be if Dr Wee is elected president and him as deputy, Tee said “We will cross the bridge when we get there”.

He also thanked MCA veterans including Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek for coming out to help support their reform agenda for the party.

Some 35,000 divisional delegates from 182 MCA divisions are expected to cast their votes on Nov 4.