Ong Tee Kiat (hereinafter referred to as "OTK") has this to say;
Read more Ong Tee Keat to MCA: Be multi-racial or be extinct
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — The largest Chinese-based party in Malaysia's ruling coalition must become multi-racial or risk extinction, a top official said, tacitly acknowledging that the country's mixed-race Opposition coalition is fast gaining ground with its message of equality for all.
Ong Tee Keat, vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Association party, said his suggestion will probably "raise the eyebrows of conservative" members. But he said he was adamant in his view.
"I am strongly convinced that this is the way out for the party," Ong, who is also the Transport Minister, told the national news agency Bernama in an interview released today.
What does that tell me? Simply put OTK was of the opinion that the party should no longer be what it is today, a racial based party, but must move towards becoming a multi-racial instead. Only that can ensure its relevancy and survival.
MCA, a component party of Barisan Nasional, should they not be subscribing to the notion that was first brought by Perikatan alliance of which they are part of this one big family called Barisan Nasional? And by being a part of this "mother of all party" they are actually multi-racial in that sense. Are they no longer believed in the idea?
Reading from the above The Malaysian Insider news report, I don't see it as MCA's personal issue. It's bigger than that. For me, what OTK was trying to implore here to MCA party members was simply that the idea of Barisan Nasional is no more relevant. Isn't it so? That partisan politics have no more place in our nation political landscape.
What about the idea of Barisan Nasional to MCA then? If and when MCA submitted itself to the proposal put forward here by OTK would it safe to say that MCA from that day onwards is no longer subscribing to the idea of Barisan Nasional itself?
Having said that, it is safe to say also that the idea and concept of Barisan Nasional and as such Barisan Nasional in itself is no longer recognised?
What about UMNO, MIC and other racial based political party then? Are they not relevant anymore? Instead should we then have many more political party in the likes of GERAKAN, PKR and DAP (prima facie non-racial based political parties)? One quick reminder though, GERAKAN failed miserably (here in Penang at the very least) in the last general election.
Then again, what's the purpose of having too many non-racial based political parties when there are needs to ally themselves with the bigger multi-racial coalition such as those of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat?
Do we really know what we want actually?
Are we really that mature as we like to think we are?
Read more Ong Tee Keat to MCA: Be multi-racial or be extinct
KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — The largest Chinese-based party in Malaysia's ruling coalition must become multi-racial or risk extinction, a top official said, tacitly acknowledging that the country's mixed-race Opposition coalition is fast gaining ground with its message of equality for all.
Ong Tee Keat, vice-president of the Malaysian Chinese Association party, said his suggestion will probably "raise the eyebrows of conservative" members. But he said he was adamant in his view.
"I am strongly convinced that this is the way out for the party," Ong, who is also the Transport Minister, told the national news agency Bernama in an interview released today.
What does that tell me? Simply put OTK was of the opinion that the party should no longer be what it is today, a racial based party, but must move towards becoming a multi-racial instead. Only that can ensure its relevancy and survival.
MCA, a component party of Barisan Nasional, should they not be subscribing to the notion that was first brought by Perikatan alliance of which they are part of this one big family called Barisan Nasional? And by being a part of this "mother of all party" they are actually multi-racial in that sense. Are they no longer believed in the idea?
Reading from the above The Malaysian Insider news report, I don't see it as MCA's personal issue. It's bigger than that. For me, what OTK was trying to implore here to MCA party members was simply that the idea of Barisan Nasional is no more relevant. Isn't it so? That partisan politics have no more place in our nation political landscape.
What about the idea of Barisan Nasional to MCA then? If and when MCA submitted itself to the proposal put forward here by OTK would it safe to say that MCA from that day onwards is no longer subscribing to the idea of Barisan Nasional itself?
Having said that, it is safe to say also that the idea and concept of Barisan Nasional and as such Barisan Nasional in itself is no longer recognised?
What about UMNO, MIC and other racial based political party then? Are they not relevant anymore? Instead should we then have many more political party in the likes of GERAKAN, PKR and DAP (prima facie non-racial based political parties)? One quick reminder though, GERAKAN failed miserably (here in Penang at the very least) in the last general election.
Then again, what's the purpose of having too many non-racial based political parties when there are needs to ally themselves with the bigger multi-racial coalition such as those of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat?
Do we really know what we want actually?
Are we really that mature as we like to think we are?
1 comment:
Striving for a multiracial composition in political parties goes a fair way in defusing fears of the championing of one racial segment of society at the potential expense of others. This is fear is real because it is inevitable that one (race-based) component party will be more dominant than another.
Going for a more multiracial approach that is characteristic of PKR, DAP or Gerakan will thus expel the need to pander to any particular racial or even religious segment of society, and finally allow the parties to aspire towards higher-order, colourblind and universal principles and goals (e.g., poverty eradication regardless of race, civic liberties, etc.). That way we make simultaneous progress in coupling economic development with social unity/cohesion. Alliances of race-based parties, though a successful, early, formative step in our country's political evolution, has polarising/divisive drawbacks, and the subsequent step in this evolution -- which is the emergence of political parties of a multiracial nature -- is a necessary consequence for the improvement of the nation.
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