When will MCA and Gerakan get out of Umno’s shadow?
My article was earlier published in TheAntDaily.com on 1/11/2014
When an Umno divisional leader from Selangor called on the government to shut down Chinese vernacular schools, MCA was the first BN component party to rebuke him. We applaud the MCA central committee (CC) member for his quick reaction on this issue.
However, in reply, the said Umno division leader fired back at the CC member by asking him to shut his mouth instead, stating that it was none of MCA business and labelled MCA as already irrelevant to the Chinese community. The Umno man added more salt to the wound by saying that many MCA leaders only won their seats in the general elections because of Malay votes.
Not surprisingly, the entire MCA leadership got numbed and sought assistance from Umno president and BN chairman Datuk Ser Najib Razak via a “close door” meeting. In the end, we saw nothing at all on what is really BN’s official stance pertaining to the Chinese vernacular school system.
We all know that many MCA leaders have made known their frustration towards Umno leaders but they are powerless in what they called pursuing their goal to “protect” the interests of the Chinese community because of their top party leaders’ compromise with Umno over such.
What happened in the end? MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Ting Lai scrambled to cover up Najib and the latter’s party point blank “insult and blackmail” over the Chinese community, right on the stage of the MCA annual general assembly which concluded just recently.
If the MCA president were to still insist on the distortion by the web media (as always), then MCA has really become irrelevant, as mentioned by the Umno divisional leader.
So, instead of attacking the Chinese community as ingrates, wouldn’t it be better for Umno leaders to question why more people, including Malays, are flocking to Chinese schools yearly.
Then comes Gerakan! At the recently concluded Gerakan Youth annual delegates conference, its youth chief Tan Keng Liang called on the BN leadership to get rid of all pro-BN NGOs who have adopted racist and extremist tendencies and are affecting the credibility and integrity of BN component parties.
In response to Tan’s call, the Selangor Perkasa hit back by asking Gerakan to instead look at themselves in the mirror before taking others to task or blaming the NGOs for their electoral defeat.
When opening the Gerakan national delegates conference, the BN chairman mentioned that the Chinese votes for BN dropped because the community believed in “lies” spread by the opposition. And the entire Gerakan leadership agreed with it. Then, being the nation’s leading liar, do you want the community to believe you even more?
Apart from that, Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, in his presidential speech, also called on other BN component parties to expel any of its members or leaders who expound racist and extremist ideas, remarks and statements.
Umno vice-president Zahid Hamidi was quick to respond that Gerakan should also do the same before urging other BN component parties to follow suit.
As the result, the Gerakan leadership immediately suspended the party’s Johor delegate Tan Lai Soon and issued him a show-cause letter over his outburst on the immigrant issue when debating in the party conference.
However, until today, none of the leaders or members from Umno who had uttered seditious, racist and extremist statements have been suspended or given any show-cause letters over their numerous irresponsible statements.
Besides, the dominant party in BN is also reluctant to disassociate itself from all those racist and extremist NGOs who are actively promoting support for the latter but negatively affecting the relevance of the other BN component parties.
Until today, no minister, deputy minister or MP from MCA and Gerakan dare to speak up openly to demand that all those racists and extremists from Umno and its sponsored NGOs be prosecuted over their extreme actions, statements and threats.
MCA and Gerakan have been castrated by Umno a long time ago. Since when can both the MCA and Gerakan presidents stand shoulder to shoulder, nose to nose and as equal with an Umno president?
Maybe, for a very short span, during the late Tun Dr Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu’s leadership in MCA and Gerakan respectively, that these two parties were equal partners with Umno.
Perhaps they are only interested in getting the share of the spoils of political power and patronage from Umno and nothing else. They do not represent the Chinese nor the other Malaysian communities, but only themselves.
So, MCA and Gerakan leaders, do not blame others for the situation you are stuck in today. You have only yourself to blame.
When an Umno divisional leader from Selangor called on the government to shut down Chinese vernacular schools, MCA was the first BN component party to rebuke him. We applaud the MCA central committee (CC) member for his quick reaction on this issue.
However, in reply, the said Umno division leader fired back at the CC member by asking him to shut his mouth instead, stating that it was none of MCA business and labelled MCA as already irrelevant to the Chinese community. The Umno man added more salt to the wound by saying that many MCA leaders only won their seats in the general elections because of Malay votes.
Not surprisingly, the entire MCA leadership got numbed and sought assistance from Umno president and BN chairman Datuk Ser Najib Razak via a “close door” meeting. In the end, we saw nothing at all on what is really BN’s official stance pertaining to the Chinese vernacular school system.
We all know that many MCA leaders have made known their frustration towards Umno leaders but they are powerless in what they called pursuing their goal to “protect” the interests of the Chinese community because of their top party leaders’ compromise with Umno over such.
What happened in the end? MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Ting Lai scrambled to cover up Najib and the latter’s party point blank “insult and blackmail” over the Chinese community, right on the stage of the MCA annual general assembly which concluded just recently.
If the MCA president were to still insist on the distortion by the web media (as always), then MCA has really become irrelevant, as mentioned by the Umno divisional leader.
So, instead of attacking the Chinese community as ingrates, wouldn’t it be better for Umno leaders to question why more people, including Malays, are flocking to Chinese schools yearly.
Then comes Gerakan! At the recently concluded Gerakan Youth annual delegates conference, its youth chief Tan Keng Liang called on the BN leadership to get rid of all pro-BN NGOs who have adopted racist and extremist tendencies and are affecting the credibility and integrity of BN component parties.
In response to Tan’s call, the Selangor Perkasa hit back by asking Gerakan to instead look at themselves in the mirror before taking others to task or blaming the NGOs for their electoral defeat.
When opening the Gerakan national delegates conference, the BN chairman mentioned that the Chinese votes for BN dropped because the community believed in “lies” spread by the opposition. And the entire Gerakan leadership agreed with it. Then, being the nation’s leading liar, do you want the community to believe you even more?
Apart from that, Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, in his presidential speech, also called on other BN component parties to expel any of its members or leaders who expound racist and extremist ideas, remarks and statements.
Umno vice-president Zahid Hamidi was quick to respond that Gerakan should also do the same before urging other BN component parties to follow suit.
As the result, the Gerakan leadership immediately suspended the party’s Johor delegate Tan Lai Soon and issued him a show-cause letter over his outburst on the immigrant issue when debating in the party conference.
However, until today, none of the leaders or members from Umno who had uttered seditious, racist and extremist statements have been suspended or given any show-cause letters over their numerous irresponsible statements.
Besides, the dominant party in BN is also reluctant to disassociate itself from all those racist and extremist NGOs who are actively promoting support for the latter but negatively affecting the relevance of the other BN component parties.
Until today, no minister, deputy minister or MP from MCA and Gerakan dare to speak up openly to demand that all those racists and extremists from Umno and its sponsored NGOs be prosecuted over their extreme actions, statements and threats.
MCA and Gerakan have been castrated by Umno a long time ago. Since when can both the MCA and Gerakan presidents stand shoulder to shoulder, nose to nose and as equal with an Umno president?
Maybe, for a very short span, during the late Tun Dr Tan Cheng Lock and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu’s leadership in MCA and Gerakan respectively, that these two parties were equal partners with Umno.
Perhaps they are only interested in getting the share of the spoils of political power and patronage from Umno and nothing else. They do not represent the Chinese nor the other Malaysian communities, but only themselves.
So, MCA and Gerakan leaders, do not blame others for the situation you are stuck in today. You have only yourself to blame.
