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“Can a Chinese become Deputy Prime Minister?” – shows up MCA true colours when MCA leaders could ask such a question!

“Can a Chinese become Deputy Prime Minister?”

Although this question was posed by the MCA Youth leader and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wee Ka Siong as a challenge to me, it shows up MCA true colours when MCA leaders could ask such a question.

Are top MCA leaders, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers, ignorant of the Malaysian Constitution?

Is there any provision in the Constitution which bars a Chinese or Malaysian of any race or religion from being Deputy Prime Minister? Or for that matter even as Prime Minister?

No wonder MCA Ministers and Deputy Ministers maintain monumental silence when MCA Cabinet posts have suffered one degradation after another, from Finance Minister and Minister for Industry and Commerce in Merdeka days to Deputy Finance Minister and Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry.

Nobody would be surprised at such questions from MCA cybertroopers but when top MCA leaders also join in the chorus, it really exposes their true colours.

No wonder MCA, together with other BN component parties suffered such decisive and humiliating repudiation in the 2008 general elections.

Clearly, the top MCA leaders have not learnt anything from the 308 political tsunami.

35 Replies to ““Can a Chinese become Deputy Prime Minister?” – shows up MCA true colours when MCA leaders could ask such a question!”

  2. You must understand that MCA’s expectation these days are really not that high.

    The party just don’t have the bolas to stand up to UMNO as an equal partner in BN. They prefer to play the ‘begging dog’ role waiting for the crumbs to fall their way.

    They don’t have any choice or dignity left. They might as well roll over and be dead.

  4. In the old days, there was the implicit acknowledgement that the Chinese were better at managing finance, and at attracting trade and investment. Then Mamakthir decided that UMNO should not be so meritocratic, especially since a succession of MCA leaders were tainted with financial scandals. Now we have an MCA leader with is tainted with a sex scandal, so maybe in a few years’ time, MCA ministers are reduced to the posts of toilet rehabilitation or waste removal.

  6. Forget the constitution of it. Its a stupid question in the first place. The fact of the matter is ideally it should not matter and its POSSIBLE for it NOT to matter. It was the original ideal of National Front for this question to be IRRELEVANT – the fact that now, MCA uses it as a low-down negative publicity stunt shows just how far they have fallen from the founding tree of Tan Cheng Lock..

  9. Anwar agrees but not the majority race in this country…believe it or not? Ask anyone on the street…they will tell you the answer…the truth hurts but lies worse-by cintanegar

    Anwar is the only true and genuine person to help malaysians to become successful regardless of those shallow minded bigots like you.Anyway LKS did proposed to Anwar to reserve some lands somewhere for you,cintanegara.But but next time you have to sweat it out urself to plant them.No more handouts.This deal will be in the constitution provision to spank ur backside and make sure u guys work.

  10. #9 correction
    Anyway LKS did proposed to Anwar to reserve some lands somewhere for you for rambutan tress,cintanegara.But but next time you have to sweat it out urself to plant them.No more handouts.This deal will be in the constitution provision to spank ur backside and make sure u guys work.

  13. ///The problem here is…my grandparent planted the tree and it is located right in front of my house…how come the neighbour who stays hundred yards away claims the ownership….///

    your grandparents may know how to plant a tree, but you on the other hand, can’t even tie your shoelace. you are just a lazy umnoputra.

    you mean, Siam was claiming ownership and you have to ask for Si Sepet protection? Aiyo, malu-lah. that’s what happen when you know how to bonk day and night. Lazy umnoputra like you will get nowhere.

  15. It is extremely important for PR to show voters that they are ready to take on the world. So I think it would be better for PR to make clear once and for all the candidates for all cabinet post before the next general election. Wonder if PR got balls to do it?

  16. Cinta negara’s close grandparaent has been cutting trees over the east coast,destroying the aborigines’s livelihood.I prefer the nons(sepet ka si botoi ka kadazan ka ect) than the corrupted one to govern our nation,that’s for sure.PR still stand purer than BN anyway.

  17. Malaysia should have been governed by a capable Malay PM, 2 DPM of other than a Malay,(Chinese, Indian,Kadazan, or other Malaysian nationals) who are capable to run this country well, since the day Malaysia was formed.
    However, if that Malay PM made a fool of himself in the international arena, and an embarrassment to the country, then I think the Malays of this country would also accept a non-Malay to be our PM.
    This country belongs to all of us, all races, When we travel abroad, we are just a Malaysian.

  18. Please be reminded that the President of U.S. is Mr Barrack Obama. Though it has taken them more than 200 years to realize all men are equal. G ! We will have to wait for the next 150 years before there is a Chinese or an Indian Prime Minister of Malaysia. Or an Iban Prime Minister. Or a Kadazan Prime Minister. Or an Orang Asli Prime Minister. You think if Earth still lives at that time ? But we will all be gone. So sad. Cannot see the reality. If Chinese powerful leaders think and talk like that, habislah for all Chineses in Malaysia. Habislah for the rest of you people too.

  20. ///Are top MCA leaders, including Ministers and Deputy Ministers, ignorant of the Malaysian Constitution?///

    No. Wee Ka Siong would know that there is no provision in our Federal Constitution which bars a Chinese or Malaysian of any race or religion from being Deputy Prime Minister or for that matter even as Prime Minister.

    Wee is just taking a dig at Kit.

    Kit is sharp to pick and highlight contradictions in BN’s policies. For example, when the No 1 in UMNO rolled out his Government Transformation Plan (GTP) based on the aspiration to make every Malaysian consider himself Malaysian first and race second, Kit was quick to ask the number 2 whether he considered himself so. When the No. 2 said he was “Malay first, Malaysian second”, PR scored points and made a joke of either he hasn’t read GTP or like many others does not subscribe to the No. 1’s GTP. The object of the question is to sow confusion and drive a wedge between the top leaders of the opponent party or coalition as legitimate part of ordinary political contestation to ridicule the other’s political policy platform or position.

    Wee now is similarly inspired and emulates the same tactic. When he asked “Can a Chinese become Deputy Prime Minister?”, it’s a loaded question proceeding on the assumption that Kit being principled will not convert for the sake of position.

    Anwar has said that a Chinese could be DPM (which implies that he can also ascend to PM position as well in a certian situation) – if all component parties of PR/their leaders agree so. [Anwar did not say whether the Chinese had to be a Muslim. He left that open, thus reserving still the right to later qualify further if he needs be or need not be a Muslim, depending on the political winds?].

    But by Anwar’s adding the qualification – “provided all leaders of PR’s component parties agree so” – it is a tricky situation when component party PAS would agree so only if the Chinese were a Muslim convert (according to Nik Aziz) – which in Kit’s case is almost as good as saying that Kit cannot be a DPM as it is not conceivable that he would convert for position to accomodate PAS’s position. Now even by Anwar’s position he cannot be if PAS does not agree so to a Chinese Non muslim being DPM!

    So what Wee is taking a dig at is basically saying this, that before Anwar/PR can score popular brownie points amongst Chinese voters by a seemingly liberal position, it must be realistically evalulated whether that position (in Kit’s case) is realistic and meaningful to be stated in the first place!

    Wee is just doing the same – trying to either ridicule or sow discord amongst leaders of this opposite side (PR) by the “clever” question – all part of the political contestation!

    Kit has cleverly deflected that by referring to the Constitution and saying MCA ministers know not the Constitution that says nothing about race/religion. I think they jolly well know the constitution. Wee is just asking what does PR say as a group of 3: is there agreement that Chinese who is non muslim can be a DPM??

  23. DPM is a government post created by convention usage and practice.

    One has to look at the context of the question. The Question “Can a Chinese become Deputy Prime Minister?” is not addressed to any Tom Dick and Harry politician whether in BN or PR or just a general question for scholarly or legal/constitutional answer.

    The Question was particularly addressed to Kit as a challenge, and Kit is renowned for putting principles above positions under the Rambutan tree.

    So the intent of the question is to test and strain PR’s component parties, whether thre is unanimity amongst all 3 that not only a Chinse can be DPM but whether he also to be a muslim or need not be.

    It is to pitch the DAP against PAS as to which gives in on this issue of faith or non faith, and which side Anwar of PKR will tilt.

    It is a very strategic thrust at the weakest chink in the PR armour.

  25. Hishahmuddin questioned CSL for saying what he said before Najib at the BN conference. It would appear that the leaders of the minor component BN parties needed to get clearance before they are allowed to say things, other those words that sing praises at UMNO.

    Wee was a bad student if he wanted to ake a dig at Kit. The questions showed that MCA accepted that MCA leader will never become a DPM. That is slave mentality. CSL has not responded to the criticism by Hishamuddin. Would Wee defend his boss?

  28. That’s why old people say think before you talk because when you talk, you cannot take it back. Ask the kindie kid, what does 1 / one mean to him ? You talk about 1. Now you mean 1 as in 3 in 1, is it ? g ! so many interpretation to 1. If 3 in 1, then you should have a Malay, a Chinese and an Indian. Then you would be pissing off the Melanau, the Dusun, the Kelabit and some normads in Malaysia. There can only be 1. Which 1 ? 1 or one also has so many interpretations. Therefore 1 is not 1 enough. There should be another word to describe 1 as in 1 and only and nothing else. g ! beating round the bush ! but good also. give us something to think about.

  29. Actually this is a golden opportunity. MCA now can hang on to a constituency because they can still get Malay vote. DAP should go tell Malays in MCA constituencies that MCA think Chinese cannot be DPM because they say Malays like them are racist and jahat which is why they treat Malays like fools and steal billions like PKFZ. DAP is not concern about being DPM and they think that only UMNO is racist and jahat.

    If MCA even lost a small portion of the Malay vote they have now, they are finish like Gerakan..

  31. //Be careful which party you vote for in the 13 GE.// – K1980 #26

    The problem here is that Malaysia is not a two party but 2 coalition system where parties within a coalition may not agree.
    Within BN itself CSL/MCA & Gerakan are not in agreement with UMNO on use of the word “Ketuanan Melayu” and how important government policy decisions were made during Umno supreme council meetings instead of in the Cabinet – within PR, whether a Non muslim could lead whether as DPM or PM.

    To CSL/MCA & Gerakan I would ask what’s the point of whining (albeit louder nowadays than before)? Why don’t you just leave the BN coalition since its dominated by UMNO?? They cannot or else they lose political platform (read political positions to translate their principles (whether referenced to that in the Party’s constitution or personal agenda to self aggrandize) into national policies!

    The PR’s component parties are a vast improvement as far as this point of putting fundamental principles ahead of political platform.

    PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat says yes a Chinese could be DPM if he were a Muslim in consonance with national and Islamic policy. Kit may ridicule MCA leaders whether they read the Constitution but it was an direct glancing blow to ally PAS whether they know what they’re talking when Nik Aziz’s national/Islamic policy overrides the Federal Constitution. (Karpal Singh was more direct reminding Nik Aziz that our national leadership must be in conformity with the constitutional provisions and not in defiance of the Federal Constitution. He said Nik Aziz’s statement was “without basis” and “devoid of any substance and merit”.) Be that as it may perhaps PAS expects DAP to at least acknowledge/recognize on equality basis PAS’s position, well perhaps not stated so explicitly but implicitly thanks to Nik Aziz’s arguments as so bafflingly ventured by him on why PAS not cooperating with UMNO, it was because PAS would not cooperate with a “stronger” party that oppressed it but DAP was OK because it accepted PAS’s struggle, that PR had the “edge” because on Islamic issue PAS could “reprimand” the others even though Karpal has been reprimanding PAS on constitutional issue. And PKR/Anwar? – he’s taking refuge in ambivalence: whilst dismissing Nik Aziz’s views as his personal views, he says PR’s policy on DPM is based on “consensus” based on “agreement amongst PR’s component parties when he fully knows that this begs the question as PAS is a component party, Nik articulates PAS’s position, which means a Non Muslim cannot be in national leadership position, whatever the Constitution says or doesn’t say!

  32. (Continuing) This then is exactly the problem with our politics.

    No reasonable man expects a Party like PAS that is viewed belonging to God to carry out His agenda on earth will waver to uphold the prescription in the sacred book that the leader of a Islamic state has to be a Muslim. Likewise no reasonable man expects a party like DAP to subordinate our Federal Constitution in deference to PAS’s position.

    And yet intra parties’ (fundamental as opposed to insignificant) differences within a coalition are supposed to be ignored – they are but for occasional open sniping generally buried under the carpet of outward show of consensus and unity as best as possible (to get votes in advancement of the cause of political platform/positions) and electorate are supposed, when voting candidates fielded by a specific party, to vote according to inter coalition basis, whether that party is within BN or PR coalition, ignoring fundamental differences of parties within a specific coalition.

    Not much of a real choice isn’t it? Its like saying which is lesser evil dependent on which makes more mistakes and shows more weakness – rather than which is better and evince greater promise to take the country from the shadows of racial/religious extremism to the higher sunlit uplands of democartic recognition of rights and economic progress.

    At the end of the day the contest is between average Malaysian position and the more extreme one.

    The first abides by Federal Constitution and eschews extremism – both whether race or religious extremism.

    The wonderful thing is that whilst both the principal parties UMNO of BN and PAS of PR coalitions will say they respect the Constitution, they however interpret and skew it’s provisions according to their ethnocentric/race and religious platforms respectively to pander to the expectations of their traditional constituencies.

    The question is whether these traditional constituencies or mainstream moderate Malaysians are greater in numbers and influence to dictate the course.

    This Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) due to be launched in London on Sunday, Dec 12 to elbow its way onto the political stage is an implicit acknowledgement that both coalitions are wanting and not up to mark (in terms of ideological consistency & coherence & quality of candidates) to protect the country from the grasps of racial and/or religious extremism and the test the strength of how much support from the mainstream.

  33. Correction of omission in post #31 -“… The PR’s component parties are HARDLY a vast improvement as far as this point of putting fundamental principles ahead of political platform…” – ooops sorry.

  34. Jeffrey :
    Correction of omission in post #31 -”… The PR’s component parties are HARDLY a vast improvement as far as this point of putting fundamental principles ahead of political platform…” – ooops sorry.

    If we cannot find saints, we should be satisfied with the lesser of the two evils. We deserve our government. Until our luck changes, we have no choice but to pick what we are presented with.

    Two million Malaysians have left the country because they chose better governments that what were available. UMNO has twenty years after 1990 to discontinue NEP but it chooses to continue with Ketuanan Mamak. I would rather have PAS to replace UMNO so that UMNOputras could realize that they cannot fool the people all the time. PAS is at least sincere to the Islamic religion whereas UMNO is sincere only to their greeds and they are willing to use race and religion to achieve that end.

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