It is really pathetic to witness the increasing irrelevance and hysteria of the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek, to the extent that he has to publicly plead for MCA members to give “claps and applauses” to his speeches and those of other MCA leaders at MCA public functions like the recent MCA “mega dinners” held all over the country.

Chua made this plea at the Federal Territory 64th MCA anniversary celebrations luncheon in Kepong yesterday but to little effect, as all he got from MCA members attending the luncheon was a very tepid and half-hearted response despite his repeated pleas for applauses to his speech.

Chua even tried to mislead MCA members to fortify his plea –asking MCA members to emulate DAP by claiming that when DAP leaders speak on stage, DAP members on the floor would respond with ceaseless applauses to give the impression that what the speakers said were right. Similarly, he asked MCA members to do the same by giving warm applauses to MCA leaders when speaking on stage so as to create confidence in MCA.

Firstly, let me state that in my 47 years of political work, I had never pleaded for claps and applauses for my speeches – and that goes for all other DAP leaders as well.

Secondly, the simple answer to Chua is that it is not only the ordinary public, but also MCA members who are antagonized and alienated by the present role played by the MCA leadership as purveyors of falsehood and prophets of doom to help UMNO to frighten and stampede the Chinese voters to support the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general elections.

It is not only the overwhelming majority of thinking Malaysians, whether Chinese, Malays, Indians, Kadazans and Ibans, but the overwhelming majority of decent MCA members, who can see through the cowardice, dishonesty and hypocrisy of the politics of lies and falsehood perpetrated by MCA and UMNO leaders – with MCA leaders whose sole agenda is to frighten Chinese voters with the lies that DAP is a stooge of PAS while UMNO leaders doing the very opposite to frighten the Malay voters by alleging that PAS is a puppet of DAP.

Either the DAP is a stooge of PAS or PAS is a puppet of DAP. It is either one or the other, as both cannot be right. But both can be wrong. And in this case, both the conflicting and contradictory propaganda of MCA and UMNO are wrong – for both are just lies and falsehoods.

This is where Pakatan Rakyat differs in essence from Barisan Nasional. Barisan Nasional is only a coalition in name for UMNO imposes the “Listen, listen, listen” political culture with UMNO’s political hegemony undisputed in BN.

This why when the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad arbitrarily and unconstitutionally announced on Sep. 29, 2001 (the “929 Declaration”) that Malaysia is an Islamic state, the first to express public support were the top MCA and Gerakan leaders, even without getting a mandate from the MCA and Gerakan membership.

Chua and the MCA leaders have been screaming at their fake MCA “mega dinners” the lies and falsehoods that there would be trouble in Malaysia and that the country would go bankrupt if Pakatan Rakyat wins the 13th general elections and forms the Federal government in Putrajaya.

I have no doubt that the majority of MCA members regard such speeches as most irresponsible for Pakatan Rakyat victories in five states in the political tsunami of the 2008 general elections, particularly in Penang and Selangor, have proven that such prophecy of doom as utterly wrong and baseless.

I have no doubt that the majority of MCA members are also patriotic Malaysians who want to see political change for the first time in the nation’s history in 55 years to bring about a better tomorrow for all Malaysians.

I say good luck to Chua, for at this stage of Malaysia’s political development, he is helping to open more eyes to the politics of dishonesty, hypocrisy, lies and falsehood practiced not only by MCA but also by UMNO/Barisan Nasional when compared to any other MCA President before him.