K'gau MCA: Umno must also share the blame
Published on: Friday, May 10, 2013
Keningau: MCA here said no one quarter is to be solely blamed for winning only seven Parliament and 11 State seats in the recent general election.Its chief, Kapitan Chee En Kong, said the Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, especially Umno, should also be responsible because Umno is the biggest party in the coalition and makes government policies.He said despite the MCA informing the government regarding problems facing the Chinese community in terms of economy, education, social and culture, among others, Umno leaders failed to pay attention to it.
ADVERTISEMENT
"So, MCA's failure is not the fault of one side alone but all MCA members," he said.He said the policies mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak are good such as the People First, Performance Now concept.Najib, he said, has instructed all BN leaders to go down to the ground regularly to settle the problems facing the people.However, when MCA implemented this and then presented the Chinese problems to the government, no one wanted to do anything about it.
ADVERTISEMENT
Citing the recent general election, he said, the government told the Chinese community that it would acknowledge the degrees obtained by Malaysian graduates from China and Taiwan."They (government) did it only to attract the Chinese community," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Nevertheless, Chee said, this matter has nothing to do with the general population in Malaysia especially the Chinese.The Chinese have been pursuing the government to acknowledge examination results from Chinese independent schools and also to upgrade several colleges and universities."Such matter should have been revealed much earlier and not prior to the election because by then it is too late already," he said.Citing another case, he said when Robert Kwok, dubbed the "Sugar King" when he virtually monopolised the sugar industry back then, asked for an increase of five sen to the price of the commodity the government refused to entertain Kwok's request resulting in the latter bowing out from the industry and latter selling to another company.A year after Kwok's company was sold, the price of sugar increased from RM1.85 per kilo to RM2.50 per kilo.This scenario is as if BN leaders, especially Umno leaders, have deliberately affected the Chinese businesses, he said."Hence, in 2010, the President of the Malaysia Industrial Commerce Association, asserted that corporations must take part in investing in neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia," he said.The MCA, Chee said, raised this matter up but again the government was as if deaf to the party's concerns.As to the distribution of the BR1M 1.0 and BR1M 2.0, senior citizen aid and other aid schemes, he claimed that 80 per cent was given to the Bumiputeras.The MCA, he said, also tried to reason with the government regarding GST taxes where it was previously postponed to May 15 this year, because majority of the businesses were owned by Chinese.But the government did not heed to the Chinese grouses.Therefore, in the 13th General Election, the Chinese decided to "awaken" the BN that the government is not governed by "one race" only but by a multi-racial composition."The election this time showed it is not only the MCA that did not receive support from the people, but also Umno."If not for Sabah and Sarawak, the BN would not have been able to continue governing the country," he said.To this, he hoped that Najib would open his mind about a "borderless" government.The government, he said, should also enhance education in the country."I suggest the government accept Indian, Chinese, Malay and English languages into the education system so that Malaysians after they finish school could go out anywhere in the world to look for work," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
