Is it because of MCA’s "minority race" mentality that MCA MPs had never spoken up against corruption or  fought for justice, democracy and human rights in Parliament in the past 42 years?

(Teluk Intan, Monday): I have been in Parliament for 30 years and  what has struck me most in my three decades in Parliament is that the MCA MPs have never dared to speak up against corruption or  fought for justice, democracy and human rights.

In February this year, MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik spelt out the MCA’s political philosophy when after his speech to the National Press Club on Malaysian Chinese: Crisis and Choice, he told reporters:
 

"I often tell my party leaders if you are a minority race, you have to learn to behave like a minority race.

"Don’t start behaving like a majority race or else you are asking for trouble."

In the next general election, Malaysian voters should decide whether they want MPs who regard themselves as "minority race" MPs, who are barred from raising certain issues in Parliament or they would be "asking for trouble" for "behaving like a majority race" or they want MPs who regard themselves as full-blooded Malaysian citizens who have the right and responsibility to uphold the rights and interests of all races.

I presume that Lim Guan Eng will be one person whom Liong Sik would have regarded as "asking for trouble …for behaving like a majority race" when he defended the honour, women’s rights and human rights of a 15-year-old Malay girl victim of statutory rape.

Under the "minority race" concept, the rights of the 15-year-old Malay girl could only be defended by a member of the "majority race", and if there is no political leader from the "majority race" who is prepared to stand up to champion her cause, it is just too bad for the girl!

Guan Eng and DAP reject such a "minority race" concept, which goes against the very concept of Bangsa Malaysia as advocated by Vision 2020,  and DAP MPs do not regard ourselves as "minority race" MPs, but as fully Malaysian MPs who have the right and responsibility equal to all other MPs, regardless of race or religion, to espouse all causes of justice, freedom, democracy and good governance in Malaysia affecting Malaysians.

Guan Eng is in fact the first Malaysian political leader in the 42-year nationhood to defend the rights of a Malaysian of another race or  religion, regardless of the political price he has to pay personally, and  he should be held up as a role model of a New Malaysia in the 21st century where Bangsa Malaysia is not a slogan but a reality. Instead, Liong Sik has not only said Guan Eng deserved to be jailed and disqualified as a Member of Parliament, the MCA President now insinuates that Guan Eng courted trouble for "behaving like a majority race".

Liong Sik and MCA’s "minority race" political philosophy is highly subversive to  the creation of a New Malaysia where all Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, can be united as fellow citizens who are all entitled to justice, freedom, democracy and good governance.

This is why I have challenged Liong Sik to a public debate on his "minority race" concept, that the Malaysian Chinese will be "asking for trouble" if they  start "behaving like the majority race" - which goes  against the Vision 2020 ideal of a Bangsa Malaysia.

I hope Liong Sik has the courage to accept this challenge to a public debate, where he could spell out what are the Do’s and Don’ts for the Malaysian Chinese in Malaysia, so that they would not get into trouble for "behaving like a majority race".

(31/5/99)