If you are Malaysian citizen, you will no doubt be aware of the extreme cases of racial marginalisation occurring here. With political, economic and religious boundaries divided so clearly among races, it is hard to avoid racial tensions.
Historicly, BN was formed to fight for independance for Tanah Melayu. The truth was, the British always intended to give Tanah Melayu independence at some point or another thru the Malayan Union. Long story short, BN was a compromise to the Malays because of numerical superiority.
Was BN a mistake? Was Malaysia a mistake? Was MCA a mistake? I don't know. Maybe. I can't predict what ifs anymore than you can. Well, can't change the past.
If you ask me to come up with a list MCA accomplishments over this half century, it would be a pretty short list. Now, as a longstanding argument between Warlock and me this is a bone thrown to the chinese to keep us quiet. You know what, he is probably right.
I hate to admit it but for the past fifty years, chinese have been losing more and more political ground every year. MCA is fighting a losing battle.
The start of this losing battle began in the 1969 elections when MCA suffered its biggest defeat ever, losing nearly all its seats to then opposition Gerakan and DAP.
The lack of support from the chinese community caused MCA leadership to resign, resulting in a void of chinese representation in the Government.
To quote from wikipedia:
"Using the Emergency-era Internal Security Act (Malaysia) (ISA), the new government suspended Parliament and political parties, imposed press censorship and placed severe restrictions on political activity. The ISA gave the government power to intern any person for indefinitely without trial. These powers were widely used to silence the government’s critics, and have never been repealed. The Constitution was changed to make illegal any criticism, even in Parliament, of the Malaysian monarchy, the special position of Malays in the country, or the status of Malay as the national language."
To this day, MCA admits that resigning their posts in Parlimen was their biggest mistake, as the opposition party proved insufficient in stopping UMNO's drastic changes to the government.
Since 1969, cowed first by a the threat of a May 13th repeat, then by the total exclusion of chinese representation in Parlimen, MCA has been playing a game of compromise that has resulted in a gradual erosion of Chinese rights.
But would things really be better with no chinese component party in BN? Would dividing the racial political parties to government and opposition achieve anything? In 1959, then party president Lim Chong Eu decided to take a more active stance against UMNO. Tun Abdul Rahman responded by threatening to dissolve the alliance, claiming an alliance with MIC would be sufficient. Should Lim Chong Eu have broken the alliance?
There would certainly be alot more racial tension now. History has already proven that the Government can function without the support of the chinese community. The only difference would be the political situation would alot less stabil.
There is a reason why MCA has been playing a game of compromise. It is because it believes there is no other choice. Perhaps there was chance to make a difference many years ago when the racial ratios were a lot less imbalanced.
EDIT:
Don't about the venacular schools, but MCA did manage to the get the government to fork out 30 million ringgit for TAR College.
As for MCA keeping quiet about the Chinese school subject:
MCA Youth: Need to build more Chinese schools
KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA Youth has opposed a statement by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar that the ministry will not build any Chinese primary school under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).
MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said Chinese primary schools had been part of the country's education and development agenda, adding that the development of these schools should continue.
“The building of these schools is needed as the country is developing rapidly and these schools are important in the development of human capital,” he told a press conference after chairing the MCA Youth central committee meeting here yesterday.
It was reported that Noh told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday that his ministry would not build any Chinese or Tamil primary school under the 9MP because the Government was focusing on strengthening national schools by introducing Chinese and Tamil subjects.
Liow said the movement hoped that the Education Ministry would explain the statement and continue to build Chinese schools according to the needs of the people.
“We hope that the ministry will implement the wish of the Chinese community by building more Chinese schools and increasing the allocation for these schools through the Cabinet,” he added.
On whether he would meet with Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Noh to talk about the matter, he said:
“I have been communicating well with Hishammuddin and I have confidence in him resolving the problem.”
On another matter, Liow said the movement would be launching “The Spirit of Rakyat Malaysia” campaign to instil the concept of co-operation and unity in a multi-racial society.
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As to whether the comment had any effect... |
At 5:02 PM,
Whoa!!! Lots of talk today about the chinese school issue.
I agree with you though Siriuz. The truth of the matter is that DAP or MCA can only make noise at most. It is impossible to change anything anymore and here's why.
If the component parties (MCA,MIC) leave UMNO (also called BN) they will most likely lose to UMNO and nothing changes, except for the losing of the opportunity to line their pockets.
In the unlikely event that they actually succeed in winning seat and unseating UMNO.....THERE WILL BE RIOTS!!! I promise you this and lets not mince words about it either, we've seen how these people behave. They will demodstrate and then start rioting and trying to kill the rest of us. This has happened in the past and it will happen again.
So if WE win, everyone loses. The only real choices are to go out in a blazing inferno, give up and just accept that you're going to get repeatedly rodgered in the ass by UMNO, or leave the country.
Many of our brighter minds and those that are able to migrate. The main reason we are having declining minorities here is because those that can leave, that and poor kampung people keep reproducing since the rest of us have to subsidise their offspring.
Even if I don't get to go to the States, I am so leaving for another country. I'd rather be treated as a second class citizen in a foreign country than as one here, plus I won't have to pay more than "special races" to own my home
At 12:19 AM,
I agree with Magnus. Sigh ..
I weep for "Bangsa Malaysia" ...
At 12:59 AM,
About the MCA Youth's statement that more schools should be built, I am sorry to say that it was all just a public relations agenda.
Having better access to the media, they made it look like like it was their idea to protest the lack of Chinese schools.
What really happened was that the opposition party raised the question first and made a big issue out of it while the reps from MCA just sat down and kept quiet. (20th Sept 2006 - based on the video of the parlimentary debate http://www.dapradio.info/parliament/2006/august/ )
After looking like total idiot who were sitting with their thumbs up their collective sphincter they decided to come up with the media statement that you quoted on your post on the 23rd of Sept 2006.
And what was the result : After 50 years of neglect in building vernacular schools they only managed to get 2 schools ! Where are the peaceful banner waving protests like what UMNO did in Penang ! Nope, MCA is happy with the bone that UMNO tossed it, now it's gonna sit down and gnaw down on it and put it up on it's trophy rack ... election bait anyone ?
What about MCA's statement that the Malaysian Chinese are not marginalised ?
When one race has to pay more for houses regardless of their financial capability , when one race will be denied a place to study even though they have all A1s in their exams .. it IS MARGINALISATION. MCA should come to terms with that first.
We are aware of it and we tolerate it in the spirit of peace. To deny that no such thing is happening is STUPID. The smart thing to do it to keep quiet. Like what Pak Lah did when the question of Malays being marginalised in Penang came up. Did anyone come forward to say that there is no marginalisation in Malaysia ? NO
To talk about the Chinese being marginalised in Malaysia makes you unpatriotic at best and at the worst is seditious and treasonous. Why wasn't the same mentality adopted when UMNO Penang was shouting that Malays are marginalised in Penang (nevermind that most of the Prime Ministers of Msia are from Penang and the deputies are Malays .. nope no one makes them share the blame. It's the Chinaman who gets blamed )
Of course, there is nothing much that can be done about stuff like this but at the very least let it become a public fact that the Chinese community is NOT HAPPY with the status instead of maintaining that everything is hunky dory.
Support the opposition if they come up with good ideas , don't back them just cause they are your political enemy .. there is so much at stake here. Protest when there is need. Don't resign in protest that is just so pussified. Fight until they kick you out of office ! Then join the opposition. Basically , what I am tryin to tell the MCA politicians it to forget about lining their pockets and their political ambitions and FIGHT FOR A BETTER MALAYSIA ... even if it will never come to pass at least they tried. If they can't then they have no business representing their people in the cabinet.
At 1:57 AM,
Dude, I could reply, but I am not going to write a 500 word essay in a comment box.
At 10:35 AM,
it might be weird having an extra long comment but I don't think we should make another post on the same topic so soon.