An active Voice of Change within the
Barisan Nasional (Flashback Part 3)
I
BELIEVE it is important for MCA to find its voice when it comes to representing
the people’s aspirations.
Courage
to Voice our Convictions
Though
I am committed to effective cooperation within the BN, it is important that our
leaders HAVE THE COURAGE TO ACTIVELY
VOICE THE CONCERNS OF THE RAKYAT we represent in Parliament even if it is
critical of the government.
We
should be mature enough to be able to disagree with the government policy while
still working within the BN framework.
Formulating
a Barisan Nasional Agenda
MCA
must also START PLAYING A PROACTIVE ROLE WITHIN THE BN coalition to further
promote racial unity and the inclusion of every community in Malaysia,
regardless of race or religion in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
We
must foster vibrant dialogue between the coalition parties in order to
FORMULATE A CLEAR AND CONSISTENT AGENDA that explains our vision for the nation
and our mission to create one unified Malaysian race.
REALISE VISION
2020
As
President of a reformed, rejuvenated Party that has its pulse on the rakyat, we must then move beyond Party
building into Nation building. The MCA has long been an integral part of
Malaysia’s development, starting before Independence.
We
are the Party that, under adversity, championed the Malaysian Chinese cause and
helped create the multicultural, multiracial Malaysia of today.
We
are the Party that, extending our hand to other races in this land, formed a
common front, a common goal that gave us independence.
We
are the Party, at this critical juncture in Malaysia’s history, which now needs
to fight to realise Vision 2020 for all Malaysians; a vision that seeks to
unite all the rakyat into a ‘Bangsa
Malaysia’ and create a confident united nation infused with strong moral and
ethical values living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant.
A
community that is socially equitable and progressive with an economy that is
resilient, robust and competitive.
In
the last election, the Opposition stood on a platform of multiracialism and
national renewal, and captured the hearts and minds of the rakyat.
Through
our leaders’ complacency, we have surrendered this moral high ground to others.
We forgot that the landslide victory the BN won in 2004 was based on the
promises of change and anti-corruption we promised the rakyat.
To
that effect, if I have the privilege to lead the Party, I will not be silent
and fight for the following causes to build a new Malaysia for our children.
Returning
to the Federal Constitution – Defending the Rights of the Rakyat
The
time has now come 51 years after Merdeka
for government to review and rebase our policies on the FOUNDATIONAL RIGHTS OF
THE PEOPLE promised by the Federal Constitution of 1957.
I
propose, if elected, to ESTABLISH A FEDERAL CONSTITUTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MADE up of ex-judges, senior lawyers and others with expertise in
constitutional law to advice the Party of the rights of ALL Malaysians and to
REVIEW NATIONAL POLICIES in the light of these rights.
It
shall also be tasked to write an updated MANDARIN TRANSLATION of the
CONSTITUTION so that the Malaysian Chinese will know of their inalienable
rights as Malaysian citizens.
Bringing
closure to the NEP
Malaysia
must progress from race-centric policies to legislation that brings development
to all regardless of religion or race. One symbol of the race-centric past is
the New Economic Policy (NEP).
Article
8 (i) of the Federal Constitution provides that ALL PERSONS ARE EQUAL BEFORE
THE LAW AND ENTITLED TO THE EQUAL PROTECTION OF THE LAW.
Article
8 (ii) also provides that there shall be no discrimination against citizens on
the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law
relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the
establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or
employment.
Following
the 13th May 1969 riots, the leaders of MCA, MIC and Gerakan agreed voluntarily
to the TEMPORARY suspension of this right for 20 years.
The
NEP proposed in 1971 was two-pronged, the first was to eradicate poverty and
the second was to remove the identification of economic function along racial
lines.
The
second prong was touted as the right medicine to cure the ills of a society
that was economically imbalanced between racial communities.
We
must understand that the original goal of the NEP was to ultimately foster a
unified national identity.
Now,
38 years have passed since the NEP was introduced and today the Malay
middle-class is large and securely established.
The
United Nations Development Programme some years ago commended the Malays as one
of the most successful in the world in creating a huge middle-class. We are
proud to be their fellow citizens.
MCA
Rises to the Challenge in 1988
When
Tun Ling Liong Sik became President in 1986, he established INSAP, a powerful
think tank for the MCA.
It
came up with a detailed report on the MISIMPLEMENTATION of the NEP that caused
WIDESPREAD GRIEVANCE against the Government and therefore the MCA, explaining
the strong Chinese support for the Opposition in almost every General Election
in the 1970s and 1980s.
Based
on INSAP’s report, I made a speech in Parliament in October 1988 on behalf of
the MCA and the Malaysian Chinese Community detailing the deviation in
implementation of the NEP in the fields of poverty eradication, economy and
education for 2 (two) hours where I was challenged by many Umno and Opposition
MPs.
As
a consequence to that speech, the then Prime Minister in his wisdom established
the first National Economic Consultative Council (NECC-1) comprising 150
members of which half were representatives of the Bumiputra community and the
other half representatives from the non-Bumiputera communities, fulfilling the
BN’s 1986 General Election pledge to consult at all levels of society in
formulating the post-1990 national policy.
NEXT:
The national policies and the revival of the NEP (Flashback Part 4)
