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.