Rais: Decision by MCA to reject Cabinet posts shallow


The Malaysian Insider
May 11, 2013

JELEBU, May 11 — MCA should not have made a decision that reflected its shallow politics by making impulsive remarks, like not wanting to accept posts in the Cabinet, said Datuk Seri Rais Yatim.

The former Information, Communications and Culture Minister said the stance taken by MCA was not proper because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was still in the process of forming a new federal government, likewise at the state level.

“There should be consultations, but they rejected from the beginning. This attitude is very suspicious.

“Honestly, we have to say that MCA and Gerakan have actually contributed partly to Barisan Nasional’s loss.

“The internal bickering and misunderstanding or absence of collective stand to an extent that several seats were lost to the BN’s political enemy,” he told reporters after a thanksgiving ceremony at the Jelebu District Council hall, Kuala Klawang here last night.

The thanksgiving was held to commemorate BN’s victory in Jelebu in the just concluded 13th general election.

MCA had announced that the party would not accept any post in the government due to its dismal performance in Sunday’s general election, winning only seven of the 37 parliamentary seats it contested, and 11 of the 90 state seats.

Gerakan won only the Simpang Renggam parliamentary seat of the 11 parliamentary seats it contested. The party contested in 31 state constituencies, but won only three seats, namely Pemanis in Johore and Tanjong Papat and Elopura in Sabah.

Rais said MCA should have consulted the prime minister first, before making its stand.

He hoped that MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek (picture) would consider joining the Cabinet because the absence of the party representative could lead to a situation which could disrupt harmony and the social structure in the country.

“Whether through MCA or other channels, the Chinese community should be represented in the Cabinet. Likewise the Indian community and the minority group in Sarawak and Sabah. This has been practised in BN and we cannot shed this responsibility,” he added.

Rais said he believed that the MCA leadership would consider and rectify the situation.

Otherwise, they would be accused of being subjective and not thinking about the country, he added. — Bernama

  1. #1 by sheriff singh on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 2:20 pm

    Rais who ?

  2. #2 by Loh on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 2:27 pm

    Fifteen MCA elders, the have been, issued a joint statement that CSL should resign immediately as MCA President.

    Who are these 15 persons? They were the so-called MCA leaders at different time who were responsible for surrendering whatever Chinese legitimate rights we should have over the last 40 years, particularly after NEP. Chinese were delighted with the offer by CSL that that they could choose whether or not Chinese should be represented in the Cabinet. Chinese have spoken, at least 90% or more, minus the 15 persons who obviously voted MCA, that MCA does not represent them and they should not stay in the Cabinet to pretend that they represent Chinese interest.

    These 15 persons who have their own interest at heart hope that they are able to get CSL out of the way so that they may come in as a care-taker savior of MCA to enable the few yet-to-be defeated MCA MPs to become ministers in the new Cabinet. God know what is the commission to be paid to them in return by the soon-to-be MCA ministers.

    Chinese believe that Ministers in Malaysian government are able to look after the interest of Malaysians; that is why they choose Pakatan Rakyat. It is thus not important whether Chinese is represented in the Cabinet or not, but government policies should be race-blind together with their implementation. Chinese are not racist to demand that Chinese appear in Najib’s cabinet. From Najib’s outburst blaming Chinese tsunami, one can only conclude that he cannot promise he was able to look after the interest of all races? Najib should have seized the opportunity to thank Chinese voters for the confidence that they do not demand Chinese to appear in his cabinet to prove that the government he leads does not discriminate against minority groups. But he failed to rise up to the occasion.

    Najib is even too lazy to justify that his government policies are fair to all races and he relies on the myth that because Chinese are in his Cabinet and so all is well. UMNO uses that logic since Mamakthir’s regime. Now Najib may have to explain how Chinese interest are not sacrificed to his counterparts around the world. It is a bit tedious but if he thinks that it is a chore, he can choose not to be PM.

  3. #3 by Loh on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 2:59 pm

    ///Constituency redelineation to be done at year end, says EC
    2:20PM May 10, 2013 | 63
    At the moment it’s tied up with post-GE13 work, such as analysing polls proceedings and gathering feedback, among others.///—Malaysiakini

    The EC chairman has not been seen to be neutral and to stop protest against election fraud he should resign.

    In the original Malayan Constitution the number of voters in any constituency should be within the bound of 15% of the average number of voters. There is no need to redraw the boundary, but there is a need to increase the number of representative in the constituencies what are more than double the national average. Singapore has such examples.

    There are 12 million voters divided into 222 parliamentary seats, averaging 54,000 voters per constituencies. Sabah and Sarawak average lower than this number and the number of parliamentary seats should stay at 25 and 31 respectively. In the Peninsular, current parliamentary seats exceeding 54,000 by 37,000 should have two representatives, and those above 141,000 should have three representatives.

    The EC had moved voters around for the 13 GE. That practice should stop.

  4. #4 by Loh on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 3:00 pm

    ///Rais said MCA should have consulted the prime minister first, before making its stand.///–the author

    If the PM a Chinese?

  5. #5 by Jeffrey on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 5:09 pm

    What is so shallow in not wanting to accept posts in the Cabinet when MCA was routed in GE 13? Who does it represent in govt? Chinese? No. Malay No. Malaysians? No. Perhaps only UMNO or BN! Now what is important is how much ($) in assets MCA has. Wind him up and every MCA member is happy with the payout. That is more real than the fiction that it could represent anybody.

  6. #6 by Winston on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 8:38 pm

    Don’t worry, they won’t be able to forgo the crumbs so easily!
    Just watch!

  7. #7 by ahkmlog on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 10:18 pm

    Do the Chinese need representation in the cabinet? I don’t think so as long as the cabinet treats everyone the same.

  8. #8 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 10:27 pm

    Rais, who asked for yr opinion, anyway?

    You don’t deserve to be in the centre stage for the dismal record and horrendous contribution to a racist and unfair administration.

    In fact, you rightly deserve to share the blame for MCA, MIC, Gerakan’s shabby performance.

    Thanks to you too, Malaysia is angry with BN.

  9. #9 by boh-liao on Saturday, 11 May 2013 - 10:32 pm

    Aiyoh, Lice YakDim, Y so dim 1?
    Just ask UmnoB 2 kick MCA n Gerakan out of BN lor, only good 4 pulling wool over eyes of outsiders dat BN is multi-racial

  10. #10 by Sallang on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 12:13 am

    MCA,MIC and Gerakan were being treated like dirt, if not like dogs.
    If UMNO is sincere, why was BTN being set up?
    Why need the quota system?
    Why children of non-Malays who had good grades in the public exams cannot get into local U?
    So, Rais, if being in the cabinet, they cannot help their community, who are they representing?

    “could lead to a situation which could disrupt harmony and the social structure in the country.”

    Ask yourself who created all these?

    Najib wants to conduct National Reconciliation, which will take another 50 years.
    A vase made of ceramic or china, once cracked, cannot be repared, ever again.

  11. #11 by HJ Angus on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 7:25 am

    now how does one entertain a person with no personal conviction?

  12. #12 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 12:37 pm

    There is more honour in choosing to be unrepresented in government than to be sham represented by subservient hypocrites.

  13. #13 by Loh on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 2:19 pm

    ///Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has described the opposition leaders’ refusal to accept the results of the 13th general election (GE13) which were in favour of BN, as the greatest hypocrisy.///–Najib

    Najib seems to lack average intelligence. PK accepts the results which show that they have won, despite having won more. PK has good reasons to believe that BN has lost, and hence PK wants explanation on peculiar events which should not have been allowed to exist had the EC been impartial.

    That seems too difficult for Najib and yet he claims that he can administer the country.

  14. #14 by Loh on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 2:23 pm

    ///Umno is not a racist party because it has always given justice to the people regardless of their race, said Najib Razak today.///–Malaysiakini

    If UMNO is not racist why does UMNO fight for Malay interest and Malays alone? Yes some Mamaks are wrongly accepted into UMNO, but the aspiration of UMNO is racist!

  15. #15 by Winston on Sunday, 12 May 2013 - 5:58 pm

    If not racist, why put up two super racists as candidates in the recent GE?
    Fortunately, Malaysians are united together to kick their arse!!!!

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