MCA leaders fight to save party, head off defections to the opposition

Embattled Malaysian Chinese Association is fighting for its political life, with its leaders knowing full well that talk going around town of its Members of Parliament soon jumping ship could well materialize if they do not take steps to reverse the current negative perception shrouding the party.

A steady stream of leaders have come to express support for scandal-tainted president Chua Soi Lek, who unwittingly lit the stick of dynamite that now threatens to explode in his hands and take the entire party down with him.

It began when Soi Lek seemingly gave unsolicited advice to BN compatriot SUPP to not accept government posts after the Sarawakian party was badly beaten in the recent state elections. He was condemned for being a busybody and was also accused of hypocrisy.

But that was not the end of it. The buzz it created throughout the community has alarmed MCA leaders and they know it is now make-or-break time to convince the Chinese their party will change for the better.

But whether the Chinese community will give them a second chance remains to be seen, but repair their credibility they must or the MCA - proudly formed in 1949 - will be annihilated in the next General Election.

Meanwhile, Senator Chew Lee Giok is among the latest batch of leaders to come out and support Soi Lek, appealing for another chance for their party.

"As a Chinese-based political party, MCA represents the ethnic Chinese of Malaysia, and no one can dispute this. Not even DAP can claim that they do not represent the Chinese," Lee Giok, who is also Wanita MCA secretary-general, said in a statement.

"Thus, I would like to reiterate once again that if MCA does not receive the recognition and support of the majority of the Chinese people and is unable to effectively represent them and to voice out their views, then MCA must be bold to take the appropriate step by reviewing if it is suitable for MCA to continue holding government positions."

Ineffective solution

But to be fair to the public and to MCA's political rivals, the brouhaha was stirred not so much by the logic of Soi Lek's suggestion as by the fact that the community itself believed the solution was "half-hearted" and Soi Lek still hypocritical about the existing political situation, where the Chinese are made to feel they are second-class citizens.

Most in the community agree that it is rightful for the SUPP and MCA not to accept the cushy and well-paid jobs that also obligate them to toe the line. This would show coalition bosses - Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud for SUPP and the Umno elite for MCA - the extent of Chinese unhappiness with the current social, economic and political system in the country.

However, the community also believes that this solution was ineffective and achieved little end-impact. To most of them, the best solution was to leave the BN altogether and either regroup or join the opposition to fight for a better Malaysia.

"We have voted for BN for the past 5 decades. We didn't bother about politics and just worked and worked. Shouldn't Umno recognize our contribution to the economy and the country? Instead, they want to rewrite this history books. How much can we tolerate and why should we," Peter Lee, a senior manager in the finance industry, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"So for me, leave the BN. Join the opposition or go it alone. Either way, other than Umno and PBB, all the other components like MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the rest have no say. What for go to Parliament or attend Cabinet meetings? Just leave BN, group together and find other ways to achieve the people's aspirations. That should be the goal."

Hypocrisy another factor

In the case of Soi Lek, the fuss was made worse because he himself had eagerly accept a Cabinet position for his son Tee Yong in 2010, although the MCA did badly in the 2008 general election.

He compounded the negative publicity by throwing the blame on his predecessor Ong Tee Keat, who shot back with a stinging reply that exposed the back-biting and hypocrisy in the party's system.

"Though Chua Soi Lek's statement on my alleged insistence of staying in federal Cabinet after the 2008 electoral setback faced by MCA should rightfully be disdained in view of its factual flaws, the despicable intention of spreading lies on-line should in no way be connived without setting the record straight," Ong fired out in a statement on Wednesday.

"Perhaps CSL has been overly obsessed with his prejudice against my political presence till today that he has erroneously attributed the decision of MCA to stay in Cabinet after the said setback to my alleged insistence when I was then NOT the Party President. (Note: Ong Ka Ting was then still the President till 18-10-2008)"

Furthermore, there are 4 full-fledged MCA ministers currently sitting in the Cabinet and many in the Chinese community have questioned, if Soi Lek was sincere, why doesn't he immediately order them to quit the Cabinet. Why one rule for SUPP and another for MCA?

Nevertheless, MCA leaders have continued to come out to defend their boss. Kampar MP Lee Chee Leong and vice-president Senator Gan Ping Sieu did so yesterday, agreeing to give up their posts if the the MCA fared badly.

While their statements may have helped to temporarily halt Soi Lek's slide into disgrace, it is also important and telling to note that their offers were effective only from the next general election.

In other words, the 2008 GE is not part of the deal and none of the MCA big-wigs are seriously considering giving up their posts immediately. Not just yet.

MPs may defect

There is also speculation that the show of support was to stop MCA's 15 Members of Parliament from defecting to the DAP and PKR. Pundits point to the fact that most of those who came out to defend So Lek were themselves Senators or his own cronies from within the party.

Said Senator Heng Seai Kie, Wanita MCA vice-chairman: "MCA has a symbiotic relationship with the Chinese community, of which our grassroots come from. Thus, if the Chinese community flatly refuses to allow MCA to represent them, MCA therefore will have no choice but to review its position in the national political stream.

"After our setback in 308, we have taken a new active political profile and we are now more serious in solving problems and fulfilling the expectations of the Chinese community. We are also willing to take our solutions to the next level in order to win back the support of the Chinese."

Said Transport minister Kong Cho Ha, who is also MCA sec-gen: "I wish to stress that MCA within the Barisan Nasional is a political force which acts on behalf of all ethnic groups. Our party represents the broad masses of the Chinese community and should have adequate representation within the Cabinet in order to have a better bargaining position with other political partners like UMNO. In leading the Chinese community’s participation in te government, MCA will strive and uphold all our legal rights."

"DAP has repeatedly criticised MCA and self-proclaimed themselves as a multi-racial political party. However, at the Sarawak state elections, DAP only targeted the Chinese balloters to weaken the representation of Chinese elected representatives in the state government. For example, with the exception of one indigenous candidate, every other DAP candidate is Chinese."

I wish to stress that the basis of MCA’s formation is from the Chinese community whereby our political purposes and outreach are not solely intended for the Chinese population but to serve the diverse ethnic communities in Malaysia. MCA strives to defend and safeguard the rights of the Chinese community and all others.

Said deputy Finance minister Senator Donald Lim, who is also MCA vice-president: "When MCA suffered a setback at the 1969 GE after being unable to obtain backing from the majority of ethnic Chinese, the MCA Central Committee then had decided not to join the ruling Cabinet.

"If MCA fails to obtain recognition from the majority of Malaysian Chinese, this will affect MCA’s position as the front runner within Barisan Nasional in negotiating to secure and defend Chinese interests. When our party’s position is weakened, we will not be in a conducive position to maintain the interests of the ethnic Chinese community.

"Therefore, I totally support and agree with the President's remarks that if MCA encounters electoral setback such as that of the 2008 GE, the MCA CC is bound to deliberate our party’s position in the federal and state government."