Hisham says Soi Lek has upset Umno leaders

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 – Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein claimed today that Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had upset a good number of leaders last weekend when he called for a ban on terms like “Ketuanan Melayu” and censured Umno for approving government policies during its supreme council meetings.

The Umno vice-president told a press conference in Parliament today that many had expressed their dissatisfaction that the straight-talking MCA president had used the Barisan Nasional convention over the weekend as a platform to air his grouses against Umno.

“I heard a lot of people were not happy with what Soi Lek said, including MCA leaders themselves, in the context of last weekend’s BN convention,” he said.

Hishammuddin’s words today appeared to suggest that Dr Chua’s censure of Umno during his speech on Sunday had reignited the recent war between the two BN ally parties, when they clashed in their opinions on affirmative action reforms and the abolishment of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target.

However, the Umno leader took pains to stress that despite the unhappiness that Dr Chua had caused, what was more important was the convention had shown that BN was a truly united coalition.

“All the party presidents in BN were given the opportunity to make their speeches but of course, it was this sensational issue that has been picked up.

“To me, what is more important is that the BN convention, had shown that we are a united front. We know that we need to transform, that we need to move forward,” he (picture) said.

He added that if he were to respond to Dr Chua’s hard-hitting statements against the ruling party, the issue would likely be prolonged unnecessarily.

“I want to look forward instead. What was said [by Dr Chua] could have happened to all leaders, all parties, but the most important thing is that in the conclusion of the convention, in our BN chairman’s (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) speech, his words and his aspirations to transform BN, that is what is important,” he said.

When pointed out that an Umno deputy minister Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi had openly slammed Dr Chua in his article today on the “Ketuanan Melayu” issue and the latter’s allegations that a “big brother, small brother” system existed in the coalition, Hishammuddin said:

“There may be some disappointment felt by some leaders but it does not mean that BN is in total agreement with Soi Lek or that BN is in agreement with this deputy minister.

“But it is more important what the people outside think, whether they believe that we are truly serious in our struggles to move forward.

“It is not about certain personalities or certain statements made that will determine BN’s future in its strive for transformational politics.”

In his article today, carried in The Malaysian Insider’s website, Puad, a deputy Education Minister, said that Dr Chua’s statements had been untrue, unnecessarily and not in tandem with Najib’s views or those of other BN component party leaders.

“If Umno behaves like a big brother and Malay supremacy is wrong, how can the Chinese be more dominant than the Malays in business?” he asked.

He also told the MCA president not to be hoodwinked by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who has been attempting to promote the concept of ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ (people’s supremacy), in his outright rejection of ‘Malay supremacy’.

“In the past, it was Anwar who had expounded on Ketuanan Melayu. Now, he has linked the concept to that of ‘master and slave’. He is trying to kill Umno with this tactic although he is the one who has created this ‘master and slave’ practice in PKR.

“Doesn’t Soi Lek see all this?” Puad added.

When asked today to respond to Dr Chua’s demand on Umno leaders not to announce important government policy decisions during its Supreme Council meetings or annual general meetings, Hishammuddin urged the MCA leader to air his grouses in the right channel.

“I would like to advise him to bring it up during the BN meetings. It is an avenue for that purpose and if he is upset about something, he can use this avenue. It has existed from before,” he said.

He added that if Dr Chua chose not to use the avenue, it raised questions on the MCA president’s personal objectives.

The MCA president had appeared to make full use of the weekend convention to push for equal treatment within the coalition, sternly telling its Umno allies that there should not be a “big brother, small brother” system in the ruling pact.

In his speech, Dr Chua had made direct references to Umno as he shrewdly reminded the ruling party that MCA, and all other component parties, deserved to receive equal recognition as coalition partners.

The veteran politician even took a direct swipe at Umno by pointing out that MCA was not in agreement with how important government policy decisions was made during Umno Supreme Council meetings instead of in Cabinet.

“MCA is of the opinion that we should cooperate with one another as equal partners and for that very same reason as well, MCA feels that important policies should not be announced during Umno annual general meetings or Umno Supreme Council meetings, where such a decision differs in status from that of the Cabinet’s,” he said during the winding up speech at the BN convention at Wisma MCA here this evening

He had also cautioned leaders against using sensitive words like “pendatang” (immigrants), “penumpang” (passengers), “terhutang budi” (indebted to), “kurang patriotic” (unpatriotic) and “ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy).

Such words, he added, should be labelled as taboo in Malaysia.