‘Avoid factionalism, embrace unity’ - Soi Lek’s parting words to MCA

Although I had decided to retire from active politics after the party elections in December 2013, I felt it was important to use my final months in office to encourage members and provide some parting advice to the new leadership teams that would replace me at both the divisional and national levels.

Batu Pahat division

On 22 September 2013, I chaired the MCA’s Batu Pahat division AGM in my capacity its chairman for the last time. In my opening speech to the members of the division, I thanked all my comrades for their support and cooperation over the previous 28 years that I had served as chairman of the Batu Pahat division.

It was a bittersweet moment. After nearly three decades of service I had formed many close friendships.

Some comrades who were my contemporaries in 1985 when I was first elected chairman of the division were still active committee members. I acknowledged that my achievements were due in no small measure to their unwavering support.

My comrades had stood by me through thick and thin, and I could not ask for more. They were not demanding. Instead, they served the party faithfully and supported me in my political journey without expecting anything in return.

Many colleagues from other divisions were envious and said that I was lucky. This was because in Johor, most divisional chairmen usually did not serve for very long, particularly when a parliamentary or state seat was involved.

In the heyday of the party, divisional MCA leaders frequently faced internal challenges, with many ambitious politicians eyeing the post. And by winning this post they hoped to be nominated as the party’s candidate in the general elections.

After I was elected as the chairman of the Batu Pahat division in 1985, I was challenged for the leadership only once. That was in the 1988 party election. After that I was returned unopposed in all subsequent party elections.

In my parting speech to the division, I reminded the new division chairman, Kang Beng Kuan, as well as his committee members, that the MCA faced difficult times. Members had to be united and work as a team. They should not treat their comrades as the enemy.

The MCA’s enemy was the DAP, which was striving to replace the party in both the state and federal governments. Now that the DAP was at the height of popularity, the MCA had to work harder.

Mentally, party members had to be prepared to face the worst but they should never give up. They should also be sincere towards each other and not promise voters what they could not deliver.

Responsibility of members

It was also important for MCA members to be vocal in articulating local and national issues. They should not fear criticism. Instead, they should be humble and not assume an air of overbearing authority.

MCA members should also try to improve their soft skills, especially when it came to communication. They needed to be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin. I shared with my divisional comrades how I had to struggle to learn Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia. It was hard work!

Language learning was a personal activity. Nobody could learn it for you. You have to put your heart and soul into it.

Committee members in the division also had to be knowledgeable on both local and national issues. Gone were the days when an aspiring politician could be a rabble-rouser. Voters wanted quality politicians who knew what they were talking about.

The MCA could not afford to be distracted by party infighting. It was important to be prepared to face the DAP, which would continue to enjoy a political honeymoon for some time.

The MCA, being a component party of the Barisan Nasional dominated by Umno, also had to face political reality. This reality was that as long as Umno continued to receive support from a majority of Malays, the MCA stood to benefit from this support.

However, it was also a double-edged sword. When Chinese were critical of Umno, the MCA had to face the wrath of Chinese voters.

I urged party members in Batu Pahat to work closely with the component parties of the BN, especially Umno, the MIC, Gerakan and PPP.

I acknowledged that the MCA had a difficult relationship with the Umno division chairman Mohd Puad Zarkashi. Despite being the MP for Batu Pahat, he had never really engaged MCA members. In fact, when the MCA hosted Chinese New Year open houses, he rarely turned up.

But I had enjoyed a very good and cordial working relationship with Chinese-based NGOs, temples and the board of directors and PIBG of the local Chinese primary schools. I urged the new leadership to try to maintain this cordial relationship.

It was also important that MCA Batu Pahat division delivered what it had promised. After all, leaders are evaluated on their performance.

To show my gratitude and appreciation to my comrades in Batu Pahat, I told party members that they could continue to use my two-storey shophouse in Jalan Tanjung Labuh for a nominal rental of RM1 per month.

I had constructed two three-storey shophouses in 2008, and the Batu Pahat division office and service centre had shifted into the second and third stories of these buildings in December of that year.

The future

Having decided not to defend the presidency, I believed it was also time to hand the leadership of the division to a younger and more dynamic leader.

However, I promised that although I was no longer chairman, I would continue to support the division. I also promised that whatever funds remained would be handed over to the new leadership.

I also promised that I would help the new divisional leadership regain the state seat of Bandar Penggaram that the party lost to DAP in 2013.

As chairman of the division, I was an automatic central delegate. But after retiring, this was no longer the case. I therefore decided to stand for election as central delegate. I felt it was important for me to maintain a political link to MCA after I retired.

In fact, I was elected as a central delegate with the highest number of votes, receiving 242 votes out of 262 delegates in the division election.

Fortunately, the division is now in good hands. Kang Beng Kuan is a decent, middle-aged, trilingual small-time businessman. I have known him for more than 25 years. He is reserved, but very hard-working. He is also dedicated to his job as the party whip and councillor in the Batu Pahat Municipal Council. I often advise him to be more vocal and interact more with the local community.

Although I am retired, I still participate activities organised by the Batu Pahat MCA. However, the committee is not as active as I would like it to be. Perhaps this is because the chairman and most of the committee members are new. It may be some time before they learn the ropes, especially when it comes to reaching out to the community.

December 2013 was a busy month. I was scheduled to chair my last central committee meeting on 11 December 2013.

Nominations for the national MCA Youth and Wanita elections were scheduled for 16 December 2013. Then, on 21 December, I was scheduled to give my final speech as president at the party AGM after it was formally opened by the prime minister as chairman of the Barisan Nasional.

This would followed by MCA national party election in the afternoon. The AGM would then continue the following day with the newly elected president and the central committee in attendance.

Public statement

To set the right tone for these developments, I issued a statement on 4 December 2013 reiterating my desire not to defend the presidency and urging all factions to unite for the good of the party after the election was concluded. The gist of the statement was as follows:

“Today, I would like to announce that I will not defending MCA presidency in the coming party election. This was consistent with my announcement made on 5 December 2013.

“There is a Chinese saying: ‘In politics, we rise with opportunity but we need wisdom to exit.’ After I resigned on 2 January 2008, I made a comeback due to the support of my comrades. I would like to thank them for this. I am grateful that they have continued to support me, even to the point of urging me to run for the presidency in the coming party election. Now that three candidates have announced their intention to join the race, it is said that it would be my advantage if I decided to run. But I believe I have to exercise political wisdom and not go back my word.

“I want to retire with integrity and credibility. Even if I stand and win in the party election, I will lose my credibility. It would therefore be an empty victory. As a man of his word, I want to retire holding my head high.

“Of course, some people may think that I will not give up easily, and will therefore seek re-election. Once again, I would like to emphasise that I am not giving up. I am giving way to new blood. This is to show that I am a man who stands by his word. Apart from that, I believe MCA leadership needs to give more opportunities to the younger generation. At this juncture, the MCA needs more young talent than ever.

“After I won the presidency in 2010, I worked hard. However, in this challenging and difficult social political environment, hard work is not enough. My comrades and supporters will not accuse me of not trying hard enough.

“Although I said in 6 May 2013 that I will not stand for re-election as president, I continued to work hard. This was to convince my comrades not to give up. I believe that there is hope for the MCA and members will continue to be active in party affairs, including standing in the coming divisional and national party elections. Many have indicated they want to retire with me. However, many of my comrades still have the potential and talent to contribute to our party. I hope they will continue their path in politics.

“My wish for the coming party election is that it will proceed smoothly.

“After the party election, all factions have to unite. The new leadership should not adopt a ‘winner takes all, loser loses all’ attitude. There is no room for witch-hunts. Party veterans should not use this party election to settle old scores or act out personal frustrations either. I also hope businessmen will not interfere. They only serve to bring money politics into the party, something that will ‘devalue’ the new leadership.

“The future of the MCA should not be charted by selfish veterans, or be controlled by businessmen with their own agenda. I believe party delegates are wise. I urge all of you to stand firm and say ‘NO’ to those things that are causing great harm to the party.

“Today, the party is at its lowest ebb after two political tsunamis (general elections). We have no political capital to waste on factional politics. We need the politics of rebuilding and not the politics of self-destruction. Leaders come and go, but the party agenda must continue.

“I urge my supporters not to throw in the towel. The MCA needs the support, cooperation and hard work of every member at this critical juncture. Do not let history condemn us for not trying to transform our party.

“It is impossible to achieve ‘zero factionalism’ within a political party. After all, every person has different views and preferences towards certain leaders and styles. However, since we have chosen to wear the MCA uniform, we must think of the party. We need to seek common ground while respecting differences. Inclusiveness is important.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin, who have endeavoured to assist me in carrying out my duties. I remain committed to multiracialism to move this beautiful country of ours forward.

“I would like to thank all my comrades and my friends whose support has enabled me to survive for the last 28 years in MCA politics. I hope they will not begrudge me my retirement. However, I will continue to play whatever role I can to contribute to the transformation of MCA and the strengthening of the Barisan Nasional.”

Last central committee meeting

During my last central committee meeting on 11 December 2013, I disclosed that I had met Liow to discuss the coming party election. This was arranged through the good offices of a prominent businessman who was closely linked to the prime minister.

I emphasised whatever agreement was concluded between Liow (photo) and myself was designed to ensure the party election proceeded smoothly. I also hoped that all groups would close ranks and work together after the party election.

Since this was the last central committee meeting that I chaired before my term ended, I thanked all central committee members who had served the party with dedication over the previous three years.

I also wished those who are contesting in the coming party election good luck. For those who were retiring, I wished them all the best. I also disclosed that Ng Yen Yen, Chor Chee Heung (both party vice-presidents) and Yu Chok Tow (the national Wanita chief) had told me they will not be contesting in the coming party election.

I also discussed the rules and regulations governing the election of the Youth and Wanita sections. It was agreed at the meeting that a recount would only be allowed if there was a one percentage point difference between two leading candidates. Overall, the central committee meeting was short. It began at 1.30pm and adjourned at 2.30pm.

Prior to this last central committee meeting, I had a private meeting with Liow Tiong Lai. A formal agreement was drawn up, which both of us signed. It was also witnessed by a prominent lawyer. I have no intention of publishing this agreement because the lawyer who witnessed it does not want his identity to be disclosed.

Anyway, after the party election, Liow once again failed to keep his word. I let readers judge leaders like this who never walk the talk. This is the second time Liow did not honour a signed agreement.

CHUA SOI LEK is a former health minister and MCA president. -Mkini