MCA says - No criss-crossing!

The Star, Saturday April 26, 2008

MCA to transform itself

MCA is set to transform itself and change the negative perception that it is subservient to Umno.

Party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, in an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily, said some people have such a perception of the relationship between Umno and MCA when in fact the two parties are partners that respect each other.

“MCA hopes to see its transformation take shape in the next six months. This will enable the people to see the changes in MCA in three years or sooner,” he said. Ong also said that the six-month time frame had nothing to do with the party election. “We want to let people see the changes in MCA in terms of style, strategy and action within a short period of time.

“Such changes will not be window-dressing tactics which cannot withstand the test of time,” he said. Apart from retaining its tradition, Ong said the policies, methods and vision adopted for the party would have to be multi-racial and international in nature.

“When we stress the value of language, culture and traditional beliefs, we also want to focus on multi-racial issues, freedom of religion, human rights and to have the Federal Constitution safeguard the interests of various ethnic groups in the country.

“We need to change faster in order to relay the signal to Umno that partners need to change with time,” he said. Ong added that all parties in the Barisan Nasional coalition should be held responsible for the defeat in the recent election and fingers should not be pointed at each other.

“All parties under Barisan should transform and not force people to accept unreasonable matters.” He hoped MCA would be able to win back the seats it lost in the next general election and Barisan should be moving in the same direction.

On the possibility of MCA MPs crossing over to the Opposition, Ong said it would not happen.

“MCA will also not lure Opposition MPs to join the party,” he said.