MCA rejects ‘big brother, small brother’ system in BN

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 – MCA made full use of today’s Barisan Nasional (BN) 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.

Its president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (picture) delivered a hard-hitting speech this evening and 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 noted that the rebranding of BN component parties should be in tandem with BN’s multi-racial makeup and should not occur merely in Umno.

“MCA feels that there should not be a big brother or small brother in BN’s ranks. We are all equally responsible to fight in the same struggle and with the same objectives. We are equal partners,” he said.

MCA, the second largest component party in the ruling pact, has oftentimes been criticised as being subservient to its BN allies in Umno.

However, since Dr Chua assumed leadership in the Chinese-based party earlier this year, the straight-talking politician has been pushing for a greater voice in the pact, acknowledging that it was this alleged subservience that had caused a sizeable chunk of the Chinese electorate to abandon BN in Elections 2008.

Among other things, Dr Chua has called for the abolishment of the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity target, earning himself the wrath of top Umno leaders like its deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Although the row between two BN giants eventually fizzled out, Dr Chua continued to remind the Najib Administration to stick to its inclusive ideals enshrined in the Prime Minister’s 1 Malaysia concept.

As today’s convention is the pact’s first since its dismal performance in Elections 2008, Dr Chua took the opportunity to expound on his call for equality in BN to the other minority component partners in the ruling pact. There are 13 coalition partners in BN.

“My fellow component party friends, I believe we are all aware that the young generation of today are more critical and dissatisfied with the development we have achieved to date.

“They do not want a government that is only good at talking but unable to take action. BN should not be seen as a coalition that only unites during the elections; it should be seen as one that believes in power sharing at all times,” he said.

Dr Chua also criticised the government’s Public Service Department (PSD) for failing to be in tandem with the BN government’s policies, claiming that the agency was given far too much power in hiring, firing and disciplining civil servants.

The MCA president was likely referring to recent incidents when government school teachers accused of uttering racial slurs against the non-Malay communities had gotten off the hook with a mere slap on the wrist.

At the height of the furore caused by the incidents, Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had claimed shrugged off the issue, claiming that despite being the Education Minister, he had no power to mete out disciplinary action against the errant civil servants.

Instead, said the country’s number two, the prerogative to punish civil servants lay in the hands of the PSD.

“How could this happen? We should have a more effective system in giving incentives as well as to punish so that those who are accomplished will be rewarded while those who are errant will be adequately punished,” he said.

Dr Chua suggested that it was time to amend the General Orders on the powers it accorded to the PSD to hire and fire civil servants.

“This is to ensure that there will not be an abuse of power or weaknesses in the system as well as to ensure that the PSD’s powers will not exceed those of the minister chosen by the people,” he said.

Additionally, Dr Chua 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 labeled as taboo in Malaysia.

Dr Chua also pushed for an equal distribution of election allocation among BN component parties, adding that it was important for the coalition to work as a team.

“For example, when we put up our campaign posters, it must reflect multi-racialism as stipulated in 1 Malaysia. Our posters must display the faces of other leaders in BN besides the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s,” he said.

Dr Chua even used Pakatan Rakyat as an example of such inclusivity, pointing out that in the opposition pact’s campaign materials during the last Galas by-election, the faces of all three component party leaders were displayed – DAP’s Lim Guan Eng, PAS’ Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat and PKR’s Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.