Wee: A strong opposition is vital
This will help ensure effective check and balance, says MCA president
SEREMBAN: A strong opposition is needed to ensure that it can play an effective check and balance, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
“A strong opposition is needed to monitor the performance of the government, whether it is at the federal or state level,” he said at Ceramah Muafakat Rakyat in Bandar Sri Sendayan here on Wednesday night.
“I was in Parliament to join the debate on the departure levy. In my question to the government, I asked: If the levy is only to be imposed on those flying out of the country, why is there no wording such as ‘airport’ or ‘flying’ written in black and white in the Bill?” he asked.
Dr Wee added that he believed the Pakatan Harapan government intended to give the Bill as broad an interpretation as possible.
The Departure Levy Bill 2019 was passed on Wednesday.
Dr Wee said the opposition’s questions on the Bill was an example of how it could play a vital role in addressing weaknesses in the Pakatan Harapan government.
He said the government’s performance was disappointing with its ridiculous proposals and policies, including changing white school shoes to black ones and flying car proposals.
“The government has not fulfilled its pledges while Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Pakatan election manifesto is not the bible,” he said.
Dr Wee added that the opposition should also be strong in Negri Sembilan.
“Voters should send Barisan Nasional candidate Tok Mat (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) into the state assembly.
“He was the mentri besar for 14 years. Therefore, he can be a strong opposition leader. He will be the voice of the rakyat and ensure that the state Pakatan government fulfils its promises,” he said.
Dr Wee noted that Mohamad had provided many allocations to Chinese schools during his time as mentri besar.
“I was impressed when I visited the Chinese school here on nomination day. It was big and I later found out that it cost RM10mil.
“I was informed that Tok Mat has assisted and given allocations to many schools, including Chinese and Tamil schools. This shows that he is not a racist, despite what some people have claimed,” he said.
Earlier, Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who also spoke at the ceramah, revealed that former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had asked Mohamad to contest in Rantau.
“Tok Mat came back as he is people-oriented. He wants to serve the people here to develop his hometown.
“You all knew him when he was the mentri besar. He is friendly and humble. You can see how he always goes to events on his own without a lot of officials surrounding him,” he added.
Khairy also said that based on his own calculation, there would be good news on polling day.
“But please don’t expect that he will surely win. Remember to come out and vote for him,” he said.