As with most observers, I am still wondering what the fuss is all about in the run-up to MCA's party polls on October 18. Both presidential contenders, Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng have been rattling their sabres, of course. There has been much heat and light generated in the process.
Any Taoist sage looking at the MCA sandiwara would be rolling down the mountain with hysterical laughter at the theatrics that contain little of true substance.
One of the key issues should be the process to change the MCA from a Chinese Malaysian political party to a multiracial Malaysian party. On this key issue both Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng are dancing and skirting around with more panache than a prima ballerina on hot charcoal! Neither candidate are truly prepared to place the proposal for MCA to convert into a multiracial party on the agenda. They only spew some platitudes about how it is necessary for the BN, as a whole, led by UMNO, to move towards multiracialism.
Basically, the issue being thrown at the members and delegates is a choice on which of the two candidates is WHO can stand up to UMNO. Who has the larger titanium cojones to stand up to UMNO? It is, for the want of a better phrase, a testicular war, not a contest for the multiracial soul of the MCA or, Malaysia, for that matter. It is a contest that is long on rhetoric but short on substance.
If Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng truly believe that MCA is not ready for multiracialism; if they believe that MCA's members would prefer to wait for UMNO to take the lead in any move towards changing their party constitution to move towards multiracialism; and, if it is true that MCA members prefer to be race-based - then, all talk of reform is just talk. And, it merely confirms that the electorate was correct to reject the MCA candidates on March 8.
The most exciting issue on the table is to amend the party constitution to ensure that the general membership has a direct say on electing candidates. This is pure parochialism. It ignores the March 8 debacle. It shows a group of leaders bereft of genuine national ideas. It reeks of gradualism and incrementalism at a time when true leaders stand up to call for quantum leap changes. This is a broad symptom shared by ALL BN component parties bar none. It shows that political in-breeding truly does create idiot genes. There is no real renewal or, reform here. Nothing to see. Nothing to show.
In response to both Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng's talk about standing up to UMNO, I merely reiterate one of Aesop's Fables, Belling the cat:
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case.
"You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood."
Any Taoist sage looking at the MCA sandiwara would be rolling down the mountain with hysterical laughter at the theatrics that contain little of true substance.
One of the key issues should be the process to change the MCA from a Chinese Malaysian political party to a multiracial Malaysian party. On this key issue both Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng are dancing and skirting around with more panache than a prima ballerina on hot charcoal! Neither candidate are truly prepared to place the proposal for MCA to convert into a multiracial party on the agenda. They only spew some platitudes about how it is necessary for the BN, as a whole, led by UMNO, to move towards multiracialism.Basically, the issue being thrown at the members and delegates is a choice on which of the two candidates is WHO can stand up to UMNO. Who has the larger titanium cojones to stand up to UMNO? It is, for the want of a better phrase, a testicular war, not a contest for the multiracial soul of the MCA or, Malaysia, for that matter. It is a contest that is long on rhetoric but short on substance.
If Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng truly believe that MCA is not ready for multiracialism; if they believe that MCA's members would prefer to wait for UMNO to take the lead in any move towards changing their party constitution to move towards multiracialism; and, if it is true that MCA members prefer to be race-based - then, all talk of reform is just talk. And, it merely confirms that the electorate was correct to reject the MCA candidates on March 8.The most exciting issue on the table is to amend the party constitution to ensure that the general membership has a direct say on electing candidates. This is pure parochialism. It ignores the March 8 debacle. It shows a group of leaders bereft of genuine national ideas. It reeks of gradualism and incrementalism at a time when true leaders stand up to call for quantum leap changes. This is a broad symptom shared by ALL BN component parties bar none. It shows that political in-breeding truly does create idiot genes. There is no real renewal or, reform here. Nothing to see. Nothing to show.
In response to both Ong Tee Keat and Chua Jui Meng's talk about standing up to UMNO, I merely reiterate one of Aesop's Fables, Belling the cat:
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood."
"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."
Postscript: A good commenter Madcow was kind enough to point me to Chua Jui Meng's new website here.
3 comments:
Unless the MCA undergoes real reform it will be history like the dodo bird!
Dear De Minimis,
A nicely written article!
However, I do want to point out that Chua has proposed some sound plans to bring about reform within the party as well as for the country.
Amongst these are platforms on the NEP, Transparency in Government and so on so forth. It is a pity that the media (being typical in our country) chose to omit all of that. So to get the real scoop (bypassing out useless media), ho to http://www.chuajuimeng.com/english/realise.html and have a read.
Cheers!
Thanks for the Chua Jui Meng link. Very interesting indeed!
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