PKR vice-president Tian Chua is looking to set up a new “activism-orientated” NGO in order to take action amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he said, this does not mean he is announcing his retirement from politics.
“I want to go back to some form of activism […] just to get the energy back otherwise things have been so down at the moment.
“At the moment, I do not have a parliamentarian role anyway so I am not leading any political party but (with this new NGO) I will at least have the opportunity to intervene in the situation of Covid-19. I see that’s the only way out.
“I see the political situation is quite fluid and I am not an MP so there is no role for me there […] so it is better for me to concentrate on something I have been good at,” Tian Chua said when contacted by Malaysiakini.
He said he would be part of the leadership in this NGO, but he is also looking for other activists and new people to join the movement as well.
The NGO will be formally launched sometime after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations, he said.
When asked whether this means he would be taking a step back from politics, he said he still intends to contest in elections in the future.
“If your question is about whether in the future would I still be standing in elections and getting back into politics, the answer is still yes.
“(I am not) somebody who is announcing their retirement from politics and then a few months later tries to come back,” he said with a laugh.
He said he has not been active in PKR for a while now because the party has been concentrating a lot on issues over Parliament and who is holding power in the government.
He reiterated that he is not an MP so his involvement in such matters would not count anyway.
Yesterday, he had posted on his Facebook about a new initiative to “reinvigorate hope and motivation through action after long deliberation and discussion among comrades and supporters".
“The nation is now facing one of our toughest challenges in history. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a global economic downturn.
“Obviously, lower-income groups and marginalised communities are the most hard hit by the worsening economic situation.
“In this context, there is an urgent need to mobilise society for self-help actions. We need to support and stand in solidarity with each other’s struggles,” said Tian in the post.
He pointed to the numerous self-organised movements to provide aid and assistance to the vulnerable during the movement control order (MCO) and said these efforts have manifested a “spirit of sharing and caring” among ordinary citizens.
While he acknowledged that it was undoubtedly the government’s obligation to prepare and provide support for all Malaysians, he said the effectiveness of any state intervention depended on the competence and integrity of the authorities.
“We cannot afford to sit back passively and expect that improvement will just happen smoothly and automatically.
“In addition to depending on and calling for necessary government action, we need to mobilise ourselves.
“As concerned and able citizens, now is the time for us to demonstrate our commitment to nation-building and defending the suffering people. This is also the time to organise community energy with the spirit of voluntarism,” he said.
As such, he proposed to assemble like-minded individuals under one umbrella network committed to the joint effort of “rebuilding our people’s and nation’s strength and vitality”.
The initiative’s mission, he said, included a society for equitable sharing of wealth and resources, promoting social cohesion and harmonious social relations in order to forge a united and progressive Malaysia, ensuring sustainable development free from destructive effects on the climate and the environment as well as organising and encouraging more effective voluntary actions through participation and working collectively.
“This will be an activism orientated organisation that welcomes the participation and contribution of all people across gender, ethnicity, religion and partisan affiliation,” Tian Chua said in his Facebook post. - Mkini
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