Robert Phang: A call to reject the politics of threats and race

May 4, 2011

PRESS STATEMENT BY
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN
Justice of Peace
Chairman – Social Care Foundation

A CALL TO REJECT THE POLITICS OF THREATS AND RACE

The Chinese community is an integral part of Malaysian society and the exercise of their intellectual and personal rights should not be subjected to any political threats or intimidation. History has shown that the Chinese are pragmatic and open-minded and seek only fair implementation of policies by the Government of the day.

The views I express below are the culmination of Chinese thoughts based on these principles:

1.    During the past MCA presidential campaign, I took out an advertorial at my own cost to denounce Dr Chua Soi Lek as a bad apple compared to Ong Tee Keat. Some members of the public misunderstood my action to mean that I am an MCA member and was taking sides in that party presidential elections.

2.    Let me be clear. I am not and have never been an MCA member nor a member of any political party. I took out that advertorial because the issue at stake was very clear to me, as clear as night and day.

Chua Soi Lek was a “soiled“ person, having  admitted that he was the actor in the pornographic VCD that was widely circulated. A philandering husband and a person with such decadent moral values would be problematic if he takes on a public office. Being President of MCA would mean he is the leader of the Chinese community, the Chinese face in the Government when he meets government leaders from other countries.

3.    By Chua Soi Lek’s own admission of his inherent weaknesses, he could not possibly be the best person in the Chinese community to talk about Chinese interest in this country. It would be a sad day for Malaysian Chinese if that was the case, as if we have scraped the barrel and could only come up with someone like him.

After all, this is the same rationale used by UMNO to denounce Anwar Ibrahim as a great risk to the Malays if he ever ascends the Premiership. Thus, MCA must be seen consistent wiith the principles espoused by its more dominant partner in BN.

4.    At that time, the option was for the MCA to be led by Ong Tee Keat whom the majority of the Rakyat had likened to be a good apple. The reasons are obvious. Ong Tee Keat did not have the inherent weaknesses of Chua Soi Lek. He was also fearless in raising the PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) issue that had resulted in several personalities being prosecuted. That proved costly to Ong when the invisible powers caused him to lose the MCA Presidency and his Minister’s post.

5.    Today, Chua Soi Lek as MCA President had issued a statement that the party will give up all government posts if the Chinese community did not support its candidates in the next general election. In an act of total naiveness, the MCA presidential council says they back him. If they made that declaration out of of their own free will, then truly they have been deceived. I say so because they must have been misled by Chua Soi Lek’s cunning move.

6.    Presently, Chua has no government post because under present climate he is too much of a liabilty. Thus, Chua loses nothing by making that declaration. If he succeeds in his scheme, he would be able to perpetuate his presidency because the other MCA leaders would also have to give up their Ministerial posts. Thus, Chua would have removed the advantage they have over him as a party leader without a government post. Thus, Chua plays the wild card game. He is throwing the gauntlet to UMNO, to BN and to the Chinese community to accede to his demands in a roundabout way. He is resorting to the politics of threats.

7.    By doing that he is making the MCA behave like a Chinese pressure group instead of the government’s coalition partner.  He is making the MCA behave no differently than PERKASA, the ultra Malay rights group.

It must be remembered that PERKASA is not a government component party. MCA cannot behave that radical especially after having condemned PERKASA so vehemently. Therein lies the hypocrisy and deceitfulness of Chua Soi Lek.  Even Tun Dr. Mahathir felt that way, thus he has defended PERKASA’s struggles.

8.    As a BN coalition partner, MCA President Chua to behave more responsibly. By making his personal agenda to be MCAs‘ official stand, he will only harden our Malay brothers to support PERKASA‘s and Utusan’s  proposed “1Melayu, 1Bumi” movement to curb Chinese political power in the country. This philosophy of race-based politics should be rejected outright by all Malaysians.

Dr. Chua’s statement pales in comparison to the Chief Minister of Penang, Lim Guan Eng who deals with this issue in a more statesmalike manner when he said that “Elections are about democracy, not about race. It is about choosing the best candidate who can best serve and represent voters, not about race. It is about whose policies promote justice, freedom and truth, not about race.“

9.    Chua’s declaration is setting a very dangerous precedent that will divide the country further if the Chinese are not represented in the government. His declaration was made for a very selfish motive because Chua realises that Prime Minister Najib would not have a man of his background in the Cabinet. He is a liability not only to the Government but also to the Chinese community at the next GE13. My fears of the gambit that Chua would take for his political survival have now proven true.

10.    Needless to say, by his statement, Chua Soi Lek will only be remembered as someone who is looking after his own interest instead of the interest of all Malaysians.  For that irresponsible stand, he should be consigned to obscurity.

11.    To that end, I humbly appeal to our PM YAB Dato‘ Seri Haji Mohd. Najib to try comprehend more of the Chinese inner feelings, that the Chinese community does not like to be threatened.  If the Chinese community in Semenanjung choose to remain silent, that would mean they will send the same message in a loud and clear manner as reflected by the Sarawak Chinese in the recent Sarawak state elections. Despite the strong and intimidating threats by the regime of CM Taib Mahmud and the BN, the Chinese community outrightly rejected them. This is a clear and undisputed fact. I pray our PM not to ignore this glaring fact.  I implore the PM to avoid being dragged into this pitfall by the President of MCA, Dr. Chua Soi Lek.

12.    Thus, I call on all Chinese especially the MCA current leaders and members to remove the blinkers and wake up, not to succumb to Chua’s politics of threats and race.  They must reject that call to abandon government posts because, in truth, that is a call to reject participation in a 1Malaysia Government.

“HUMBLENESS IS GOOD VIRTUE, ARROGANCE SHALL FALL, THE MEEK WILL RULE THE WORLD”.

Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin
Justice of Peace