KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 4 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today echoed Gerakan leader Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik's call for Umno to reform and further suggested that Barisan Nasional become a single multiracial party.
"The Pakatan Rakyat is turning into what BN used to represent," the former MCA vice-president wrote in his blog. "BN should eventually turn into a single multi-racial party which really represents the interest of all Malaysians.
"Realistically this cannot happen immediately of course but we must set it as a real target, instead of brushing the suggestion aside."
He said that this move was necessary due to the fact that six months after Chinese voters had given BN "a bloody nose" in the Mar 8 elections, it was still fighting the perception of racism, arrogance and corruption and "Umno as the dominant party is most tainted by such a perception".
"We in the MCA can never hope to achieve a turnaround in public perception if Umno does not actually change. Recent events show that Umno, when backs are against the wall, resorts to playing the race card," he wrote, referring to the perception of Umno involvement in the UiTM protests against opening up to non-Bumiputeras and the racist comments of Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail.
The former Health Minister also agreed with Lim, who had in an interview with Off The Edge said that Gerakan should not desert the coalition:"Pull out of BN? Will that really help, beyond satisfying our egos that we can help stick the knife into the backs of Umno?" he wrote.
He lamented however, that "there is no direction within the MCA now" and that "it pains me to see that it is the acting Gerakan president who has come up with suggestions to introduce a code of conduct for BN parties, while the current MCA leadership and those endorsed to take over the party do little to save MCA and BN" in reference to Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon's call for a mechanism to discipline those who make racist remarks.
Dr Chua's critical remarks has set the tone in his comeback campaign, after he was forced to resign all political posts in a fallout from the sex DVD scandal earlier this year.
He has yet to declare which post he will contest in the MCA party polls on Oct 18 but it is widely expected that he will run for president against the backdrop of a constant war of words between him and Datuk Ong Tee Keat, the only person to declare his candidacy for the No. 1 post.
He had also said in a recent interview that he was forming a team to run for the party elections, leading to speculation that he would join up with vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai and Datuk Ling Hee Leong, the eldest son of former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik who is said to be backing this lineup.
They appear to have positioned themselves against the slate of candidates endorsed by outgoing president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting which includes his brother and secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, Tee Keat and youth secretary-general Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment