What has UEC recognition got to do with Malay upliftment, MCA asks

MCA has lambasted the DAP saying its leaders have no courage to tell Dr Mahathir Mohamad to fulfil the PH election pledge of giving government recognition for the UEC. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Wee Ka Siong today asked why recognition of the Unified Education Certificate (UEC) and the economic improvement of the Bumiputera community cannot go hand in hand.

He also lambasted the DAP, saying its leaders had no courage to tell Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to fulfil the Pakatan Harapan election pledge of giving government recognition for the UEC.

“What has distribution of wealth or poverty got to do with skin colour? Is recognition of UEC a racial issue? Why can’t economic reform and UEC recognition be pursued simultaneously? Shouldn’t Pakatan Harapan fulfil its election promises?” Wee asked in a statement.

The MCA leader said none of the DAP leaders, including Lim Kit Siang, had dared to tell Mahathir that recognising UEC and wealth distribution were two separate matters and that they could be pursued concurrently.

This was so even though the DAP held 42 parliamentary seats while Mahathir’s PPBM only had 16, he said.

Wee Ka Siong.

Wee said during the last general election “every speaker at DAP’s ceramah boasted about recognising UEC” and that DAP leader Liew Chin Tong had said the UEC would be recognised as soon as PH took over the federal administration.

Wee said: “Since DAP had not protested, Tun M went a step further yesterday by stating publicly that solving the problems of the Malay community is more important than recognising UEC.

“Is he saying that UEC would not be recognised as long as the problems faced by the Malay community are not solved?

“How is recognition of UEC incompatible with distribution of wealth? Can’t the government work on both at the same time?”

He said Mahathir had used a clever strategy by first saying the Chinese were rich, to which, he said, the DAP didn’t respond.

And then, Wee said, PPBM elaborated on the need for a new Bumiputera agenda that emphasised shared prosperity while stressing that the economy of the Malays and Bumiputeras should be improved.

Again, he said, the DAP kept quiet.

“Now, Tun M is using the same reason when stating that distribution of wealth is more urgent than recognising UEC. These are the agenda that Tun M desired to promote. He was only duplicating his past pet projects — national car and Bumiputera policy.

“Unfortunately, DAP chose to keep its mouth shut instead of making its disagreement known,” added Wee. - FMT