Jui Meng slams 'snake-in-the-grass' MCA for helping Perkasa stage white ang-pows fiasco

So, finally it has been confirmed. The MCA has its sticky hands all over the white 'ang-pows' issue. But worse than Ibrahim Ali, who distributed cash to senior citizens in these 'pak kam' or funeral envelopes instead of using the traditional red packets, the MCA tried to pretend it was not involved.

And like a snake in the grass, Labis MP Chua Tee Yong even slammed Malay rights group Perkasa for the faux pas, when all the while there were MCA leaders who had helped to organize the event.

"Perkasa should have been aware. They should have learnt the practices of another race before organising such an event, so that they did not upset anyone,” said Tee Yong, the son of MCA president Chua Soi Lek, who has maintained a deafening silence while the community raged at what they perceived to be the ultimate insult.

For the issue is not just about an ancient taboo or superstition, it was the blatant and ruthless abuse by the MCA and Perkasa of the community's senior citizens.

"If this is not betrayal, I don't what is. If Soi Lek and Tee Yong are not careful, people will say they are capable of selling their own grandmothers to stay in power," condemned PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng.

Snake in the grass

Indeed, Tee Yoong's slick words aimed to give the impression that he was on the side of his community and firing at full ballast at the 'rotten and racist' ultra rights group Perkasa sickened many who knew the truth behind the incident.

MCA Seputeh division committee member Collin Tiew has confessed that he had helped organize Perkasa's Chinese New Year gathering and brought along at least 50 senior citizens.

“I have been made a victim for bringing some 50 people to Perkasa's Chinese New Year open house in Kampung Baru on Sunday. It was not my intention to offend anyone. If my action has hurt the people's feelings, I would like to apologise to the Chinese community," said Collin, who s also the MCA Sri Desa branch chief.

Collin's involvement also confirms the sad suspicions that MCA has all along been playing a double or even triple game to dupe the Chinese community.

In 2008, the party was severely punished by its core electorate for subjugating their rights to Umno's. MCA leaders were accused and declared guilty by Chinese voters of putting their personal interest and cushy government jobs ahead of Chinese rights such as fighting for fairer distribution of scholarships, licences, business and educational opportunities.

Soi Lek has denied this, always blaming opposition "spin" and "lies" for his party's own woes. To revive confidence, he has waged a fight for greater economic rights with Umno and Perkasa, demanding that a long-held 30% quota for Malays be dropped.

However, the extent of this fight is always limited and MCA always stops when given a final reprimand from Umno, prompting Malaysians to suspect that it was all a "sandiwara" or playacting.

MCA's 'independence' proven to be a 'sandiwara'

Collin's collaboration with Perkasa, although he claims he has never met Ibrahim Ali before, shows that MCA, Umno and Perkasa do work hand in hand together.

This despite, Perkasa staging a shaming and noisy demonstration last year, calling Soi Lek and the Chinese party all sorts of insulting names including "Porn King" to convince the Malays that it was doing its job as a fierce defender of Malay rights, while the MCA 'co-starred' to convince the Chinese that it was championing their rights.

"I do not endorse what he said, I merely translated it," was Collin's giveaway when asked why he took part in the Perkasa event to the extent that he went on stage and gave a speech.

"If Ibrahim did this for his personal agenda, then I regret it. I am being condemned, I'm a victim of this incident,” was Collin's rather lame apology.

Exploited and manipulated once too often

But Collin is wrong. He is not the victim. The Malaysian Chinese are the victims - the victims of the MCA's lies and manipulation of the past decades. And this is why there was such a furore.

"People get fed up of being used and exploited year in, year out. The MCA has gone too far this time. It has pricked its own bubble and the pus is spurting all over. Nobody wants to go near it, Malaysians want a clean country. We want a real country, not a make-believe world and definitely not sandiwara," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia Chronicle