Don’t hesitate to quit BN, MCA told

Chinese teachers association chief Ong Chiew Chuan asks MCA to serve the Chinese interests at all costs including quitting BN when necessary.

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA has been urged to serve Chinese interests at all costs including leaving BN when it is necessary to do so.

The United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zhong) chairman Ong Chiew Chuan said MCA as the Chinese representative in the ruling Barisan Nasional should be vocal with its demands to the government.

“They must be courageous and firm enough to pursue the Chinese interests such as defending the multi-stream education and to speak up to ensure all schools are fairly treated.

“They are only left with seven parliamentarians and 11 state reps. If they remain non-vocal, their members will remain ineffective even if they rejoin the government and hold ministerial posts later,” he said.

Ong, who spoke to reporters after attending a meeting organised by the MCA’s reform committee and 58 NGOs this afternoon, said he hoped that they will have no scruples when quitting BN to protect the Chinese interests.

The reform committee was formed after the party’s dismal performance in the recent 13th General Election.

Ond said some of the long-standing grouses of the Chinese educationists included the government’s decades of pursuance of a single-stream education, unfair fund allocation to the Chinese-type schools and non-recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).

He said although there had been several MCA leaders holding the position of deputy education ministers in the past, some of them were of hardly any help to the Chinese community.

Reconsider “no-cabinet-post” pledge

Meanwhile, the Federation of Chinese Associations (Hua Zhong) and the Associated of Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCIM) have asked MCA to reconsider its “no-cabinet-post” pledge, saying that the Chinese community needs MCA members in the cabinet.

Hua Zhong president Pheng Yin Huah said the Chinese has given overwhelming support to the opposition in the recent general election because they want the Chinese-based opposition parties to be their voice in the event of a regime change.

“Hence, the Chinese still want to be heard in the government. The community does not agree with the ‘no-cabinet-post’ stance as the MCA never sought the community’s opinion on this,” he said.

ACCIM president Lim Kok Cheong said under the BN’s power-sharing concept, MCA plays the role of check-and-balance in the cabinet.

“They should not have given up the opportunity,” he said.

MCA has pledged to decline all government post if they fared worse in the 13th General Election.