Chinese Perkasa? MCA bankrupt of ideas, time to close shop

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat leaders ridiculed a suggestion from the MCA that a Chinese version of ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa be established, saying that such a idea was not only irresponsible, it would only erode fragile nation-building efforts and add to already simmering communal tensions.

“If such an idea came from a vice-president of MCA, then it shows how bankrupt of ideas MCA has become,” PKR vice-president and Gopeng MP Dr Lee Boon Chye toldMalaysia Chronicle.

“The way forward is multi-racial new politics and not racism and feudalism. If after 5 decades, this is all MCA can do, then it is time to close shop. Please, hang up your signboard!”

An insult to the intelligence

Donald Lim, who got a new lease of political life during the MCA internal elections earlier this year, had suggested setting up such a body to counter the almost daily assaults from Perkasa, which makes no bones that it champions only the Malay community and no one else.

"The Chinese community and Chinese associations such as the KLSCAH can play such a role. MCA can only respond up to a certain level - it should be NGOs versus their counterparts," he was reported as saying in Malaysiakini.

Donald, who was ousted in the party’s previous elections, made a grand return in March when he was voted in as one of MCA’s four elected VPs. He received the second highest number of votes after Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen.

“It is just a gimmick and an insult to the intelligence of the Chinese. The last thing Malaysia or any rational person for that matter would need is another hothead group. There are more than enough Chinese NGOs who can speak up for the Chinese and even if there are new ones, we would never encourage anyone to rave and rant like Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa,” Selangor DAP chief Ean Yong told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I think Donald is just trying to play to the gallery. He may think he is smart but what is the difference between him, Ibrahim Ali, Dr Mahathir and all those Umno leaders who for years have used racial politics to scare us and divide us. Do you want this sort of leaders, do you really respect them?”

Racial politicking with a vengeance

Indeed, Donald who is also Selangor MCA chief, has admitted he faces an uphill task in regaining Chinese support. According him, Chinese support for the BN was only 30 to 35 percent nationwide, dipping to 20 or 25 percent in the Klang Valley.

"Our target is 50 percent support from Chinese voters. If we can get 40 percent, we should be happy. I am very practical: if I said we can raise the support to 80 percent, then it would be a lie. Every party, no matter ruling party or opposition, has its strongholds," said Donald.

"In highly educated areas such as Petaling Jaya, the electorate tends to tilt towards the opposition. If we lost in the opposition strongholds, there is no need to feel ashamed. Only if we lost in our stronghold will we have to close shop."

MCA, which in its heyday held more than 30 parliamentary seats, was only able to capture 15 in the 2008 national polls. The party lost favor after decades of putting the interests of Umno, its BN boss, ahead of its own electorate.

But apart from that, Malaysian voters swept the Pakatan Rakyat to power also because they were fed up of the polarizing race-based politics played by Umno-BN and the endemic corruption in the government.

“MCA is thinking that to win back the Chinese, it must speak louder than Ibrahim Ali. It must show it has guts. But sadly, it is also showing it does not have any brains. The worst thing that can happen to Malaysia is to have 3 unnecessarily worked-up groups screaming at each other,” Boon Chye said.

“If Donald has his way, a Chinese personality will soon come forward and say he is speaking for the Chinese, Ibrahim already says he is for the Malays and Uthayakumar insists he is speaking for the Indians. Actually they are only speaking for themselves. As for MCA, Umno and MIC, they might as well pack up and go home. Balik kampung, they have no function anymore.”