We’ll never be MCA 2.0, say DAP trio

Contrary to Yap Pian Hon's claims, DAP has been moving ahead on major issues, they say.

Wong Kah Woh, Syerleena Abdul Rashid and Tiew Way Keng of DAP have fired back at veteran politician Yap Pian Hon.

PETALING JAYA: Three DAP politicians have shrugged aside comments about the party’s apparent failings now that it was in power, as raised by MCA veteran Yap Pian Hon in an interview this week.

The DAP would never become a “MCA 2.0”, one said, after Yap told FMT in an interview that DAP politicians were in danger of becoming like the MCA in their apparent silence on issues they once championed, soon after being in power.

Tiew Way Keng, deputy head of DAP Socialist Youth, said Yap need not worry as DAP was “nothing like MCA” in the first place.

“DAP will not be ‘MCA 2.0’ as we are for a Malaysian Malaysia, and are not race-based,” she said. It was premature of Yap to come up with such an observation so early into Pakatan Harapan’s administration of the federal government.

Syerleena Abdul Rashid of DAP Penang said it was all too easy for some quarters to demonize DAP’s relationship with the prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Yap had suggested that DAP politicians were now quiet because they were “afraid” of Mahathir.

“His statement is ridiculous. PH and especially DAP have been vocal in voicing out issues, and have certainly not been silent as he claims,” she said.

She added: “Of course, being in the Federal Government means adopting different methods to reach a consensus” which BN had not taken into consideration in the past.

DAP Socialist Youth chairman Wong Kah Woh said Yap’s statements reaffirmed MCA’s failure to uphold the rights of citizens.

“What we can see now is that PH has started to fulfil our manifesto”, he said, citing the abolition of the Goods and Services Tax and other initiatives as evidence.

He rebutted Yap’s claim that the education minister had made a U-turn about recognition of the Unified Examination Certificate of independent Chinese schools.

Wong said the minister, Maszlee Malik, had already stated there would be no U-turn. “We will not take 60 years like Barisan Nasional and not do anything (about UEC),” he said. -FMT