KUALA LUMPUR - In a scathing attack on Umno, outgoing MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said today that continuing to blame the Chinese for not supporting the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the May 5 general election may cost the ruling coalition the non-Malay vote in future.
Critisising the senior BN partner and other groups for irresponsible statements condemning the Chinese on the lack of electoral support, he said this strategy may work against the BN.
"After the poor results on May 5, the MCA was blamed, and the Chinese community was blamed ... everything was the fault of the Chinese," he said.
"An eye for an eye is not going to win the Chinese back; it may even drive non-Malay voters away and that may be the end of BN," he said in his speech at the MCA Youth annual general meeting.
More measures?
In another development, party deputy president Liow Tiong Lai said reports of a drop in support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak are just a setback due to unpopular but necessary measures to salvage Malaysia's economy.
Liow told reporters that the "whole picture" must be taken into account as Najib's intention is to strengthen the country's economy but measures are also being taken to assist the lower to middle income group.
"Whatever setback we have, it is temporary, I believe the Prime Minister is coming up with more measures to help the country move said,
On poor Chinese support for Najib, he said this is understandable as there is no Chinese representation in the cabinet.
Wee had earlier also spoken about MCA's priorities for the future, saying that reducing the cost of living among young professionals was high on the party's transformation programme.
He said it was the party's wish to alleviate the burden faced by the younger generation.
He said one of the ways this can be achieved is to push for the reduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 6% to 4%.
"When the GST was proposed, it was originally 4%, but later when the implementation announcement was made, the public was taken aback by the 6% rate. The government should have stuck to the original rate," he said.
Even at 4%, Wee said the public will still feel the pinch as the tax applies to all goods and services, unless specifically exempted.
He used the 15% hike in electricity tariffs as an example, which is only exempted from GST if a household's electricity bill is under RM43.60 per month.
"It is a fact that most households will easily exceed this limit with the usage of basic electrical appliances, such as a fridge, which is essential," he said.
Wee said fuel is another item that should be exempted from GST as many young working adults use their personal vehicles frequently.
As such, he urged the government to come up with a more complete list of exempted items which will minimise the impact of GST on the lower to middle income groups. - The Sundaily
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