Big question mark over MCA’s much-hyped transformation plan

-
This article was earlier published in TheAntDaily.com on 20/2/2014

MCA leaders met in Genting Highlands last month to brainstorm its transformation plan and map out strategies for the party to regain electoral support.

In its transformation plan, MCA wants to strive for good governance and accountability, check corruption and wastage, and promote effective public service and quality education.

MCA has also pledged to be more vocal in addressing issues and to adopt a multiracial approach in its quest for a better nation.

These declarations beg a question: will MCA be able to adapt to its own transformation plan? There was some sort of commitment from the party’s central committee, but what about the divisional and branch levels as well as its local leaders?

Did all the divisional and branch chairmen as well as their committees really understand what the transformation plan is all about? Are these local leaders really committed in ensuring the party really changes for the better and regain the people’s trust?

Can the MCA leaders at large reveal what their action plans are to tackle critical issues like fighting corruption and wastage in the government, effective public service and quality education?

Furthermore, it’s not enough to just say MCA wants to render its services using a multiracial approach. What about retuning the party itself first? MCA is still the Malaysian Chinese Association. Is MCA ready to transform itself into the Malaysian Community Association?

It’s easy to spell out a transformation plan but does MCA have the political will to implement the measures outlined?

For example, in fighting the blatant corruption and rising extremism and racism engineered by Umno, is MCA ready to break ranks with the BN coalition in order to demonstrate its seriousness in championing the concerns of the people?

Do not talk about closed-door meetings within BN because none of us would be able to know or judge you by that. The people want action, and they don’t care if you have to offend the dominant partner Umno in doing so. They only want to know if you have the political will to live up to your commitment.

Now coming back to the divisional and branch levels, are those local leaders ready to help MCA transform and are they able to adapt to the “new era” envisioned by their national leaders?

Addressing all these issues especially the critical ones is not only the responsibility of the leaders at national level, but it should also be carried out at the state, divisional and branch levels without fear of offending Umno. All these leaders should speak up loudly against the bad, unjust and wrong actions and decisions. Can they do that?

In the effort to transform the party, are the conservative leaders ready to step aside and allow younger members or the new generation to take over? Are these older leaders ready to relinquish their positions for the sake of rebuilding the party?

Another protracted issue is that factionalism is very much alive in MCA. With the new leadership having to grapple with the factional tussles, would they be able to drive the transformation plan to success? This question remains unanswered until today.

There’s no point for MCA to demonstrate its commitment to stay out of the cabinet or any other government positions if the leaders themselves are not able to transform the party. Until today, MCA has yet to prove its worth in taking a stand on major issues.

MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, in his Chinese New Year message, said the political landscape in the country has changed and that it is affecting the multi-racial ties and the national spirit.

Liow also mentioned the moderate path that Malaysia has always pursued, urging all to work together resolutely and stand against racist and extremist elements in our society. But till today, we have yet to see his affirmative actions on all these issues which are clearly affecting the people.

It raises the question of whether MCA’s transformation plan originated from the bottom of the party’s heart. What we are seeing right now is the same old MCA, as if nothing ever happened in 2008 or 2013.

Please do not claim that MCA is the second largest political party in this country when the party has lost the people’s support and is not even certain of the full support of its members.

By the way, we see that you are again jostling for government positions as you have engineered another extraordinary general meeting to reverse the no-government post resolution. It looks like your so-called sacrifices are fake after all.

Popular posts from this blog

EC should ask ROS to register Pakatan quickly

-
Image
The Election Commission (EC) had recently advised the current opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, PKR and DAP, to register their coalition so that they could use their logo in the coming general election. EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said the coalition should be registered because the opposition parties were always seen violating regulations of the election campaign, especially on the use of their logo. Datuk Wan Ahmad seems to be overly ignorant and too forgetful on this issue. The EC deputy chairman should ask the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to quickly register the Pakatan instead of calling on Pakatan to register itself. Pakatan Rakyat had earlier send in their formal application to register itself as a coalition of political parties since November 2009 and ROS has yet to register the said entity till today after delaying and creating so many hassles for more than a year. It is not Pakatan who is delaying on its application but it was the ROS who is just...
Read more

USM fiasco a shame

-
I read and heard with irritation and felt disgusted with the fiasco committed by the apex status university called Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) which caused untold anguish to the affected students and their parents. If this happened in Japan, the Vice-Chancellor would have done the honourable thing - take full responsibilty and leave, but here in Malaysia, as expected, the blame is shifted here and there, trying to make someone a scapegoat. By the way, would there be any racist or sabotage elements involved? Those who are responsible for this fiasco should be sacked or expelled immediately.
Read more

Singapore Malay daily teaches Mahathir about hardwork

-
Image
The former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's assumption that Malays in Singapore had failed and their neighbouring Malays should take lesson from their plight has not impressed a Singaporean daily. The republic's Malay daily Berita Harian in an editorial said Malay-Muslims in the republic state were successful and it was a result of their real efforts and hard work in line with the values of meritocracy, not a result of being spoon-fed. “We do not believe in being spoon-fed or being too dependent on the government - in other words, we do not have a crutch mentality,' wrote editor Guntor Sadali. Guntor said Singapore Malays believed that a community with such a mentality would soon become a “two M” community, which stands for ‘manja’ (spoilt), and ‘malas’ (lazy). “We definitely do not want to be labelled as a pampered and lazy community,” he said, adding that the Malay community in the island raised their own funds to build Islamic schools, mosques and other community pro...
Read more