Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Ti Lian Ker said his party MCA is able to work in the same Federal administration as PAS as long as the latter respects the Federal Constitution.
“All this time, MCA has accepted everyone, only we have our platform, our platform is the value of struggle, we have to abide by the law and the constitution.
“MCA has never denied any party if their struggle is based on the constitution and noble values and for the sake of the people and the country.
“MCA’s track record so far has been about moderation and supporting the Constitution.
“We are not running away from that record. Even though we represent the (Chinese) community, we are not striving to glorify the Chinese community.
“MCA is just a voice for the community to be part of the Malaysian Family,” he said.
The MCA vice-president was speaking to the media in Kuantan after officiating a programme organised by the Youth and Sports Ministry there.
Cooperation with PAS has been a thorny issue, particularly among Chinese or Chinese-led parties due to the party’s stated goal of establishing an Islamic state under syariah law.
PAS was in a coalition with MCA and Gerakan in the 1970s when it joined BN for a few years and it was also in the Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat coalitions with DAP.
The party, which is led by hardliner Abdul Hadi Awang, is now in Perikatan Nasional with Gerakan and is also part of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s cabinet alongside MCA.
Ti was also asked about the meeting of two former prime ministers, Bersatu's Muhyiddin Yassin and Pejuang's Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which is said to have happened about two weeks ago.
Answering indirectly, he said that while MCA is always open to any consensus and encourages it, it opposes cooperation that is based on personality politics, particularly by individuals who failed after being given the opportunity.
He said the issue of personality politics and its resulting conflicts had plagued the country’s politics for too long.
“We need to free ourselves from the political snare of personal conflicts. From the beginning, when I was a student leader, I saw the politics of personality.
“It does not benefit the people, what we want (now) is to give aspiration so that there is a political atmosphere centred on the interests of the people and the country.
“We have been revolving around the political cycle of personalities and personality conflicts of old figures in the party for too long, enough is enough,” he added. - Mkini
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