Wake-up call for Chinese voters

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek says Malaysians need a New Deal that is fair, democratic, transparent and inclusive to address today’s concerns and it should epitomise the core expectations of the people.

While the Chinese are either sitting on the fence or supporting the DAP, Dr Chua warned that the country would see, not a two-party system, but a two-race system. He said if the Chinese voters were blind to the realities of politics in the country, they would sit in the Opposition while the Malays form the Government.

BARADAN KUPPUSAMY, The Star

DATUK Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has outlined a wide-ranging “New Deal” for Malaysians that include abolishing obsolete laws, relaxing the hold on the media, democratising the economy and liberalising the education system.

The MCA president urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who was at the 58th MCA general assembly over the weekend when Dr Chua called for the reforms, to “take a giant leap forward” and offer the deal to all Malaysians.

“It should not allow the baggage of the past to be a millstone around the necks of our children and grandchildren,” he said to the applause of the delegates.

“Malaysians need a New Deal that is fair, democratic, transparent and inclusive of all Malaysians to address today’s concerns.

“It should epitomise the very core expectations of the people,” he added.

While proposing that outdated and irrelevant laws be repealed, he also proposed permission for public protests at designated places with a transparent police permit application system.

On the all-important economic front, he said cronyism and nepotism when awarding projects should be abolished and affirmative action based on needs and merits be extended to any group that is poor.

On education, the New Deal hopes that mother tongue languages would eventually be made compulsory in all national schools.

Dr Chua also called for Unified Examination Certificate graduates to be admitted into public universities.

On calls for English to be made compulsory, Dr Chua said it is time the Government set a time frame to achieve this.

He also proposed a one-off cash payment to poor Malaysian households to help them tide over the rising cost of living and a monthly allowance for the affected households – a move that many Malays and Indian households would also welcome.

His New Deal is within grasp and achievable for the younger generation who wants to see the country reform.

Dr Chua is banking on these reforms, in part already promised by Najib, to carry the MCA into the next general election and win the support of Chinese voters, who make up the majority in 46 parliamentary constituencies.

He is, in fact, eyeing the young voters.

The MCA performed dismally in 2008, winning only 15 parliamentary seats.

The DAP has since emerged as the champion of the Chinese community, a position once held by the MCA.

The reforms can help the MCA stand its ground against the DAP’s accusations that it did not fight for the Chinese community and had only kowtow to Umno all these years.

This is not true as cooperation with Umno and the Government had allowed the MCA to achieve a lot for the people over the years.

One example is the fact that 20,000 youngsters graduate annually from UTAR, a college conceived and built by the MCA.

While the Chinese are either sitting on the fence or supporting the DAP, Dr Chua warned that the country would see, not a two-party system, but a two-race system.

He said if the Chinese voters were blind to the realities of politics in the country, they would sit in the Opposition while the Malays form the Government.

Dr Chua said they were off on a tangent, on their own, nursing anger against the Government.

But, he said, the Government has become inclusive and has started political, social and economic reforms that were gradually transforming the country.

His overall message to the assembly delegates is – if they (the Chinese) refuse to see the reform direction the country is taking they would end up the losers.

Dr Chua has promised that if the Chinese voters, for some reasons, don’t give their support to the MCA and if its performance is worse than in 2008, the party will stay out of the Government altogether.