Ensuring MCA’s survival
NEW APPEAL: If amendments are passed, MCA will be the first monoracial party to alter its DNA and become multiracial
HISTORICALLY, MCA is touted as the only party in the country that can best look after the welfare of the Malaysian Chinese, besides upholding their rights as equal citizens of this nation. Of course, under the Barisan Nasional banner, this party also aims to fight for all Malaysians, but it was founded in 1949 with the main purpose of safeguarding the interests of the then fledgling Chinese community in Malaya.
So, it is easy to see why a great deal of buzz was generated over the past month following the party’s audacious plan to finally open its doors to all Malaysians after keeping its membership exclusive for almost seven decades.
To be more specific, MCA’s Youth wing is proposing to amend the party’s constitution to allow for nonChinese affiliate members, with the proposed amendments to be raised in the annual general meeting (AGM) this weekend.
This is somewhat significant because if the amendments are passed, MCA will set a precedent by becoming the first monoracial party in the country to completely alter its DNA and become multiracial.
It is quite clear that the idea behind this move is to ensure the party’s political survival in the future: as society slowly moves away from the once-dominant communal politics of the past, so must MCA adopt a more multiracial outlook to regain its appeal.
But, given that this is no small undertaking by any means and that it could permanently change the party’s course, every MCA member should be allowed to have a say in the matter by way of a vote or referendum.
Perhaps the creation of an MCA supporters’ club as an affiliate organisation is a more workable solution because it will take a lot of MCA president leaders and delegates at month. MCA must adopt a more persuading before veteran party members can even begin to grasp the idea of offering full memberships to all Malaysians.
Another, more ambitious method would be to transform BN into a single, multiracial party to contest in general elections. This would mean fusing parties like Umno and MIC into a single entity, which will be a ludicrous proposition for those looking to preserve the status quo.
This revolutionary idea has been mooted repeatedly by Gerakan and more recently Wanita MCA, but there has not been any follow through so far.
However, is this a case of too little, too late for the floundering MCA? Already, it had to endure crushing defeats in the last two general elections, which resulted in the party losing a sizeable chunk of its Chinese support base.
Also, the concept of multiracial parties in Malaysia is nothing new; the founder of Umno, Datuk Onn Jaafar, had proposed to, albeit unsuccessfully, open up Umno’s membership to non-Malay Malaysians.
In fact, a good number of BN’s 13 component parties tout themselves as multiracial, although parties like Gerakan are made up of predominantly one race. The same can also be said of opposition parties like DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara.
But, what’s first and foremost in the minds of Malaysians is not the racial composition of a particular party, but whether it can solve the bread-and-butter issues that transcend race, colour and religion.
Needless to say, the debate over whether to open up MCA’s membership will rage throughout the party’s two-day AGM.
One question that might pop up during the discussion would probably be: “If MCA is open to all Malaysians, would it still be appropriate for the party to be referred to as the Malaysian Chinese Association?”