You don’t speak for all Malays, MCA man tells Umno

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

March 28, 2011

Nazri’s reported description of the party continues to raise MCA hackles. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 — Umno cannot assume it represents the whole Malay community since many Malays support different political parties, including those from the opposition, an MCA member said today.

Loh Seng Kok, the MCA’s publicity bureau deputy chairman hit out at Umno’s Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz for unfavourable remarks against the MCA, and said the minister’s views did not represent Umno or the majority of Malays in the country.

“Neither Nazri, Umno nor PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz (Nik Mat) may claim to wield the entire authority on Islam as many Malays support different political parties including multi-racial political parties.

“Since Nazri feels strongly against MCA representing the Chinese community, similarly Nazri does not represent Umno, and Umno does not represent all Malays because PKR and PAS have a foothold in Malay-dominant electorates also,” said Loh in a statement today.

Last week, Nazri reportedly labelled the MCA as “isteri yang dizalimi tetapi enggan meminta cerai” (a bullied wife who does not want a divorce).

MCA and Gerakan have since demanded an apology from Nazri, and had warned that the minister’s failure to treat MCA as an equal partner would damage the larger Barisan Nasional (BN).

Nazri has refused to apologise, claiming that he had been misquoted in the original news report.

Taking a swipe at both Nazri and political rivals DAP today, Loh suggested that the Umno man join the DAP instead, which constantly boasted of being a “multiracial” party.

“Nazri should join DAP which claims to be a multi-racial based political party but yet does not have sufficient Malay influence.

“Considering that DAP Secretary General Lim Guan Eng praises Nazri as ‘respectable’ [and] who represents all races, then Guan Eng should vacate his position as DAP secretary general and hand it over to Nazri because no other DAP leader qualifies to call DAP ‘multiracial,’” said Loh.

Over the past year, MCA, the second largest party in BN, has engaged in numerous exchanges with Umno in its attempt to shake off the view that it was subservient to the lynchpin party.

Last year, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had locked horns several times with top Umno leaders as he attempted to push for Chinese community rights and called for the abolishment of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target.

Even as the racially-charged tiff between the two BN giants eventually fizzled out, Dr Chua used last year’s BN convention in December as his platform to deliver a hard-hitting reminder to Umno that the “big brother, small brother” system in the ruling pact should no longer exist.

During his speech at the convention, the outspoken leader even told Umno that MCA disagreed with how important government policy decisions were often made during Malay party’s supreme council meetings instead of in the Cabinet. - Malaysian Insider