All BN component parties should seek to reinforce friendship & trust

MCA Spokesperson Sdr Lee Wei Kiat welcomes Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi’s timely speech in addressing the needs for UMNO to transform. It runs parallel with MCA’s on-going transformation process to remain relevant with the rakyat. Wei Kiat thanked Pak Lah for urging UMNO to take cognizance of the seepage in the implementation of the government policies.

Pak Lah further urged UMNO to address these issues by sincerely endeavouring with an open heart to rediscover the cooperation and mutual respect that have found the basis of our national unity to ensure a future of peace, stability and prosperity.

Wei Kiat said, “the selective and deviation in implementing the New Economic Policy which counted among reasons for the country’s racial problems. This coupled with the racial supremacy rants, keris brandishing antics amidst rhetoric of ‘bathing in blood’ at UMNO’s general assembly just only three years ago or extremist slurs challenging the citizenship of the Malaysian Chinese by UMNO Bukit Bendera chief Dato’ Ahmad Ismail that Chinese are ‘penumpang’ and ‘pendatang’ and hence don’t deserve equal treatment’ which fueled the voters’ rejection at the Permatang Pauh by-election.”

Wei Kiat who also heads the party’s Information and Communication Bureau added that all along non-Malays have never made any demands. “Instead, it has been MCA’s consistent position that all Malaysian citizens abide by the Federal Constitution, particularly Article 8(1) which reads that ‘All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.’ Where there is an injustice, the community expects MCA to be vocal and we will.”

“In view of the flak that BN received after the March 8, 08 general elections, what is important is that BN component parties seek to reinforce friendship and trust which laid the cornerstone for nationhood in 1957, rather than belligerent accusations of members from one party representing one community against all other communities and political parties. Through shared common values of respecting equality for all Rakyat Malaysia and abiding by the principles of the Rukun Negara and upholding the tenets of the Federal Constitution where implementation of government policies should be drafted on a need-basis rather than race would encourage the electorates to vote BN once again. Acknowledging the contributions by every ethnic groups towards nationhood whilst rejecting any form of mob rule, presumed threats from an imagined community, ethnic and religious discrimination, graft practices, cronyism, will regain the people’s respect and support for BN.”

After the Prime Minister delivered his last speech at UMNO’s 59th AGM, the MCA President Dato’ Sri Ong Tee Keat correctly pointed out that “it was not true the non-Malay communities had not been supportive of the BN coalition. Their support was shown when they gave their votes to Barisan in the 1995, 1999 and 2004 general elections,” to which Wei Kiat highlighted that “the rebuff against BN by voters in the peninsular did not comprise only non-Malays. The popular vote favouring Pakatan Rakyat in West Malaysia consisted all communities.

所有国民受宪法保障，马华对不公事件发声

马华中央党部发言人李伟杰指出，非马来人和国阵成员党在过去从来都没有提出非分的要求。相反的，非马来社会是在宪法所赋予的权利下，捍卫本身应有的地位和权益，这也是马华一直坚守的立场，即所有马来西亚国民都在宪法之下受保障，尤其是宪法第8条（1）所阐明的“法律之前人人平等，并享有法律之同等保障”。在发生不公事件时，马华将发出声音，这是人们期望我们做的。

李伟杰表示，新经济政策的选择性和偏差性实施方式，是导致种族问题的因素之一。除此之外，其它因素还包括种族霸权、在巫统大会上挥舞短剑和类似“让短剑染血”的叫嚣、以及之前由巫统升旗山区部主席阿末伊斯迈所引发的“寄居论”风波。

在遭受去年308大选的挫折后，国阵成员党现今必须加强彼此之间的友谊和信任，这种互重互信的关系是我国1957年独立的基础。我们必须停止声称代表本身族群而对其它种族或政党作出具攻击性的指控。若国阵能以普世价值观来平等对待全体马来西亚人民，遵守国家五大原则，奉行联邦宪法的核心精神，并基于需求而不是种族的分际来制定及执行政府政策，我们将能够重获人民的支持。此外，承认每个种族在建设国家方面的贡献，同时拒绝暴政、相互仇视、种族与宗教歧视、朋党主义，将让国阵重新赢取人民的尊重和信任。

首相在巫统代表大会发表其演说之后，马华总会长拿督斯里翁诗杰清楚指出：“关于非马来人不支持国阵的说法是不正确的。非巫裔社会在1995、1999及2004年大选都给予了国阵支持。”
也是马华新闻局主任的李伟杰强调，在去年大选拒绝国阵的西马选民不只是非马来人，因为民联在西马获得的选票是来自所有族群的。

李伟杰也对首相拿督斯里阿都拉针对巫统需要转型的演辞表示欢迎。首相的呼吁与马华正在展开的改造计划是相呼应的，都是以贴近民意为目标。他同时也认同首相提醒巫统必须对政府在执行政策时出现的偏差现象有所警惕。

首相同时也敦促巫统以诚恳、开明的心态，努力应对这些课题，以重塑作为国民团结基础的精诚合作与互相尊重的精神，才能创造一个和平、稳定及繁荣的未来。

Chinese educationists or education are not apartheid

MCA Spokesperson Sdr Lee Wei Kiat today expressed that the main factor leading to the racial disunity in the country is none other than the partial administration and deviation of policies that has been adopted by the government for a long time. It is reported that Dr Mahathir had said that “We proposed that everyone study together in one school then only can you have bangsa Malaysia. But they did not want this. They did not want to mix with the other races especially the Malays. They did not want their children to mix with Malays and that is apartheid, not us."

“Racial disunity has nothing to do with the vernacular education. I disagree with the insinuation by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that racial disunity in Malaysia arose out of various education systems. This is very subjective and he has shown a very narrow minded view of racism,” remarked Lee.

Lee pointed out that since the independence of Malaysia 52 years ago, the Chinese in the country has been working unceasingly together with the other races not only in attaining national independence, but national development as well. So there should not be any question about their loyalty and their intimate relationship with the other races in the country.

“The Chinese community and the Chinese educationists stress and talk about the importance of vernacular education because it is a basic right as spelt out and clearly stipulated in our Federal Constitution. It is merely the love that they have shown towards their own language and culture. This is exactly the same as the other races in the world who have the privileges of enjoying their own basic right. Therefore, Chinese educationists cannot be classified nor regarded as the racists,” expressed him.

Lee, who is also the MCA Information & Communication Bureau Chairman reiterated that a single language education does not and will never lead to national unity effectively. This can be seen clearly that in many countries around the world, that adopt a common language education, but still their people are fragmented. One such example is that of UMNO and PAS. Both parties attend the same education stream and speak the same language, and yet they are so much different in their political ideology.

Lee Wei Kiat pointed out that such a racist view as made by Tun Mahathir who had also termed the appeal made by the Malaysian Chinese Organisations Election Committee (Suqiu) in year 2000 as equivalent to Communists, could be attributed to one of the reasons that caused the non-Malays to gradually turn away from supporting the Barisan National.

“As a former national leader, Tun Mahathir should set a good example to other Umno members and leadership. He should not play around with the issue of racism which if not handled properly, may lead to a real social disunity,” stressed Lee.

MCA is of the opinion that if Barisan National would like to regain the support from all the races in the country, it should immediately adopt a multi-racial, liberal and progressive line of administration. This is also one of the 3 thrusts currently adopted by the party leadership, i.e. “Be instrumental or remain instrumental in forging an accommodative, inclusive and harmonious inter-ethnic relationships premised on the Rukun Negara and Federal Constitution”.

“If we want to enjoy everlasting peace and harmony in the country, we must always be committed to a good social relationship. We cannot afford our country to be destructed simply by any irresponsible politicians who are fond of stirring up racial and religious issues aimed at self-propaganda,” Lee said.

偏颇政策破坏种族关系，国阵需开明执政

马华中央党部发言人李伟杰认为，政府长期以来偏颇不公的政策和执行上的偏差才是破坏种族和谐关系的主要因素，与母语教育无关。他抨击前首相敦马哈迪将所谓的种族之间的不团结归咎于多元文化和语言，是充满个人主观意见和种族主义的言论。

李伟杰表示，马来西亚独立50年以来，华裔始终与其他种族为国家的独立和建设而并肩作战，因此华裔对国家的效忠以及与友族同胞和睦共处的诚意是无可置疑的。华社与华教人士坚持母语教育以及各源流学校的存在，既是宪法所阐明及保障的权利，也是对本身文化及语言的一种爱护行为，这是世界上每个族群都应该拥有的基本权利，不能主观的被视为种族主义。

也是马华新闻局主任的李伟杰强调，统一语言不是国民团结的有效途径。世界上有许多国家实施单一语言教育政策，但国民之间依然分裂。以巫统和回教党为例，两党支持者绝大部分都接受同一种语言的教育系统，但两者的政治理念却南辕北辙。

李伟杰指出，类似敦马哈迪医生的这种充满种族仇视的言论，包括曾在2000年抨击华团大选诉求工委会犹如共产党，正是造成国阵渐渐失去非马来人支持的主要原因之一。他作为前国家领导人，应该自重身份，为现今的国家领袖尤其是巫统党员做出良好示范，而不是如同一些新进巫统领袖般大肆玩弄种族课题，置社会和谐于不顾。

马华认为，国阵若要重新赢得各族群众的支持，就必须贯彻多元、开明、进步的执政路线，而这也是马华转型主轴“三拼”中所强调的“拼和谐共享社会”。马来西亚要长治久安，就必须认真地经营种族之间的和谐关系，我们不能任由无良政客，不论来自何党，一再的玩弄种族与宗教情绪，让这个国家的基业毁于一旦。