Empty vessels make the most noise


By Douglas Tan | November 18, 2011
Free Malaysia Today

Remember the adage: silence is golden? I’m sure many parents have taught their children that if you do not have anything nice to say, you should keep quiet.

However in politics these days, we have mud-slinging from both sides of the political divide.

It appears that the less relevant you have become, the more you have to shout at the top of your lungs.

For the MCA, it is able to see that it is fast disappearing off the political scene just like Gerakan.

The party has been criticised over the years for being gutless and pandering to the demands of Umno, just to ensure that it still gets a slice of the pie.

It arrogates to itself the divine duty of representing and fighting for Chinese interests in Malaysia. Are we still under the illusion that we need elected representatives of the same ethnicity?

If Barisan Nasional component parties still believe this after having the “1Malaysia” concept shoved down their throats and pinned on their lapels, it quickly becomes clear that they are only interested in serving themselves.

The Malaysian Chinese diaspora in Malaysia is made up of clans which include the Hokkien, Cantonese, Hainanese, Hakka, Foochow, Teochew, among others. From the beginning, they settled in this country and worked hard to get to where they are today.

What has the community asked for? Just freedom to do business, educate their children well and be allowed to live and prosper.

However, even going back to the days when Umno pushed forward the NEP (New Economic Policy), did the MCA speak up at all?

Bashing the DAP

Nowadays, the MCA has resorted to attacking the DAP at every opportunity it gets.

Not a day goes by without Dr Chua Soi Lek or Wee Ka Siong making a press statement in The Star and the Chinese language press about the “shortcomings” of the DAP, with their favourite targets being Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh.

Kit Siang and Karpal Singh have been a constant thorn in the side of the MCA. Due to the consistency of the DAP as both a party and a state government, the MCA has struggled to find issues to harp on. So it brings up old issues or flogs dead ones.

Wee has just hit out at Karpal, after the latter expressed his support for Anwar Ibrahim to be the next prime minister.

Going back to the Sept 16, 2008 fiasco, Karpal was not impressed that Anwar wanted to form a government with frogs coming over from the Barisan Nasional. This issue has been long resolved as the event has already taken place.

When you have dissenting voices within a coalition, this is normal and healthy as a form of public debate. Throughout this entire episode, not once did the DAP say that it would abandon Pakatan Rakyat.
Wee represents a party which has no say, so expressing its own views on national issues is an alien concept.

Hudud again?

Not stopping there, Wee then continues to flog the hudud horse and how it would infringe on the rights of non-Muslims.

After discussing the matter with several Malay friends and colleagues, it is clear that the principle of hudud is seriously misunderstood.

The MCA is guilty of propagating misinformation in order to make its position look better.

Although opposition parties are not immune from doing this, at the very least the MCA could be creative about it, apart from its “No to Hudud” and “No to DAP” campaign.

The DAP and PAS have already reached a consensus about the issue. Constitutionally, it has been clearly established that hudud cannot be implemented.

Despite this, the debate rages on, fuelled by the irresponsibility of BN component parties, especially the MCA, to spook the non-Muslim community.

Looking like fools

It is evident that when DAP and PAS do something, the MCA will be the first one to jump on them. But on issues of national importance, such as the irregularities exposed by the Auditor-General in his report, the scandals overseen by several ministries and Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s RM10 million condominium in Bangsar, the MCA remains as quiet as a mouse.

If you want to debate about integrity, why not show some? This is because MCA knows that if it voices out any dissent against its Umno masters, it would be cast out to the side of the road.

MCA has shown that it is completely incapable of voicing out on issues which are important to ordinary Malaysians, but is more interested in engaging in politicking.

When MCA central committee member Ei Kim Hock mentioned that overseas Malaysians do not deserve to vote because they are out of touch with the real issues, it became obvious that the party itself is out of touch.

The party earned the ire of the NGO Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia (SABMoz) as well as other groups, all saying that it (voting) is a basic right enshrined in our Federal Constitution.

It is clear that the move is purely political, as the MCA knows that overseas voters are more likely to vote against them. As a result, it is far more important to preserve its political position than uphold the constitution.

Chua was too late with damage control and conjures up an absurd notion that the logistics would be impractical.

All we have to do is to take a leaf out of the book of the Australians, British or Americans who regularly vote at foreign missions.

If it is anyone who would find it a logistics nightmare, it would be the Americans by the sheer size and population of the country, but they cope just fine. If a country of 300 million people can do it, handling 28 million citizens should be a piece of cake, right?

MCA leaders are brilliant con artists, having deceived the people for so many years that they are a credible force.

One would sincerely hope we have woken up, and no longer tolerate their hollow talk. It is for the better. Goodbye, MCA. Thank you for the music.

Douglas Tan obtained his law degree from the University of Nottingham and currently works in the manufacturing industry. He is an FMT columnist.

  1. #1 by k1980 on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 12:45 pm

    When PR forms the federal govt after the 13GE, Old Viagra CSL will be taken to court over his sodomee with angela, as shown in his hotelroom videotape.

  2. #2 by gelsomino on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 1:11 pm

    I supposed we need to waste time refuting or more precisely collecting the garbage that BN spilled now and then of whatever left from them,garbage.Making fun and assuming the Rakyat are stupid fools forever.We have been taken for a never ending ride for far too long.Hopefully,the journey will finally halt with the coming GE13, and begin to rebuild our lives with more vigorous efforts and much higher aspirations that we are all capable of .

  3. #3 by ktteokt on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 1:22 pm

    If MCA is against Hudud, why then did CHEW MEE FUN acknowledge AAB’s “Malaysia IS AN ISLAMIC STATE” claim? Isn’t that an acknowledgement that MCA accepts HUDUD? So what difference is there between UMNO’s Hudud and PAS’ Hudud? Do they use different Al-qurans and pray in different directions?

  4. #4 by dagen on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 2:19 pm

    The difference between hudud-jenis-umno and hudud is that the former is supreme to the latter. Both are about chopping body parts and stoning. But the former exempts umnoputras the supreme race of the world.

  5. #5 by Thinking Two on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 2:35 pm

    No matter how, BN must be kicked out totally.
    Now BN is over spending.
    If Pakatan win, Pakatan have to bear the cost.
    If BN win, even worst, BN has to raise taxes and tarriffs to cover the ass hole.

    No matter how, BN must be kicked out totally.

  6. #6 by monsterball on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 2:53 pm

    I have been seen any government politicians defending their rights to govern…so desperately…putting out so many ..so idiotically foolish statements.
    Not one want to talk about corruptions daily exposed.
    Come to that…to each his own..defend yourself.
    They actually reached a stage….so confused…so disorganized.
    After 12th GE…it is non stop promoting and publicizing… how good they are.
    They are either treating Malaysians as idiots or trying to find suckers to vote for then…day in day out.

  7. #7 by monsterball on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 3:18 pm

    I mean….”I have never seen any government politicians…bla bla bla…”
    Please excuse my mistakes.

  8. #8 by cseng on Friday, 18 November 2011 - 4:51 pm

    Talk like a man and fight like a man. If MCA reps. chinese, CSL should choose a chinese majority seat, how about bukit bintang? how about seputeh, if not, Bukit Mertajam, i am waiting to hudud you off…

    If not b’coz of Viagra I don’t think you can be a great pron star in the clip. If not hiding under Umno’s sarong, where got pron star in the first place… where got CSL… keeping hiding under the sarong and suck it off…

  9. #9 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 19 November 2011 - 12:14 am

    If I were in their shoes, I too will fear Hudud laws if I stand a chance of losing both my hands! BN is all worried about losing their limbs because they knew exactly what they had done!
    The other factor is they are BANKRUPT of any idea of what to say or do, but in politics this is suicidal! So even if they have to spew out nonsense at least the dwindling STAR will still publish it; other their paper also has nothing intelligent to write about!

  10. #10 by rockdaboat on Saturday, 19 November 2011 - 11:45 am

    MCA is doomed.
    Every time their so-called leaders open their mouths,
    they only invite more hatred from the Chinese.
    It is sbetter for them to shut up.

  11. #11 by boh-liao on Saturday, 19 November 2011 - 6:44 pm

    CSL supports d Islamic state as defined by MMK n UmnoB but takut hudud
    Nanti his little bother Dick kena chopped off n what will he become

  12. #12 by waterfrontcoolie on Saturday, 19 November 2011 - 10:36 pm

    BN is desperately trying to divert attention from the planned daylight robbery of the nation’s Treasury, hence the number 1 target is DSAI. It is like killing many birds with one stone; as usual they think Malaysians are still living in the Stone age. Their wantonness is so open that they thought no want will get to know it. When they are caught, they gave stipid reasons just like the NFL case. This time around,even the brain from Oxfart was also caught!
    In the case of MCA, their main concern is PKFZ where their greedy leaders now found the rope round their necks. Their only hope would be the survival of the Untouchable; otherwise, the urgency of the next GE will surely send them to where they belong! In such scenario, what can CSL and his crooks do? except creating more diversions but they forget they are dealing with a different group of people. In spite of their desperate hope that their Boss’s plan could fit the same scheme as theirs! Their Boss can call the tune with a hand at MOF; but what have they got to offer? They will just get the crumbs from the leftovers; though this can run into millions!
    As noted earlier, the just released results of the PSRM actually became a joke, when a friend rather average daughter score 7 As but was listed at position over thousand something at a local Chinese private school entrance examination to filter 2,800 candidates for the 500 places! It certainly looks like the ‘GAPS’ even amoung the top scorers are as wide as the blue ocean! this cannot come from a well set examination. What is an examination went you can’t differentiate the very best from the good and then from the very average? Here idiot like the MCA deputy Minister has nothing to say! Those As are for Syiok sendiri only! It may be good to hookwink those in the rural area, but not the better read urban parents! MCA what other good reasons have you got to get Malaysians to vote for you?

  13. #13 by Ordinary on Monday, 21 November 2011 - 12:06 am

    YES: MCA leaders are brilliant con artists, having deceived the people for so many years.

    UMNO leaders are brilliant con money eater, having deceived the Malay community by making Malaysia with high debt and low value of Ringgit.

  14. #14 by Ordinary on Monday, 21 November 2011 - 12:13 am

    As far as a normal people like me, I think hudud law or islamic law is for muslim only and not for non muslim. MCA and UMNO have made this issue bombastic and they are really brilliant con deceivers who have taken out much money from Malaysia.

    Where are the money RM888 billion taken out from Malaysia illicitly from year 2000 to 2008 during Mahathir’s time? See report from Global Finance Integrity: http://iff-update.gfintegrity.org/

    Look at Taib’s billion RM property portfolio : http://www.sarawakreport.org. They (UMNO, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, etc.) are all quiet about Taib while Anti Corruption Agency, Malaysian Polis, etc. are useless.

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