How unprincipled and low can you go, Chua Soi Lek, as MCA President?

by Lim Kit Siang

Any Malaysian given three answers to the question: Who made the allegation that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia would invariably name Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian and UMNO although not necessarily in the same order.

Nobody would have named the MCA let alone the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek as it is so wild, absurd and irresponsible a charge no sane or reasonable person would make.

One could disagree with Chua Soi Lek to date but so far he has kept to certain standards in his public statements and speeches.

But Chua Soi Lek’s allegation in Kota Kinabalu yesterday that DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia must rank as among the most despicable and dastardly of lies in Malaysian politics designed to help UMNO ultras to scare Malay voters.

Chua is doing both his race and nation a great disservice in making such a baseless, despicable and dastardly charge.

Chua could not possibly believe that he could deceive Chinese voters in Malaysia into believing his lie – as DAP is not a new political party but has a 45-year history and record to prove that DAP leaders had never espoused a Chinese Malaysia but had always been committed to a Malaysian Malaysia where the diverse races, religions, cultures and regions can find unity and harmony through fair and just nation-building policies.

The declaration of DAP leaders ring down the past four and a half decades loud and clear: the DAP does not want a Chinese Malaysia, Malay Malaysia, Indian Malaysia, Iban Malaysia or Kadazan Malaysia but a Malaysian Malaysia!

Right from the very beginning in 1966, DAP had held forth a vision of a Malaysia for all Malaysians, where every citizen identify himself or herself as Malaysian first of all, bound by a common nationality and transcending their racial, religious and cultural differences.

This was why in the first general election contested by the DAP in 1969 – followed in subsequent general elections – DAP fielded a multi-racial slate of candidates, Malay, Chinese and Indians with two Malays elected as State Assemblymen and more Indian MPs elected on the DAP ticket than the Malaysian Indian Congress!

This was also why DAP leaders have no hesitation in accepting the definition propounded by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia policy of “a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second and where the principles of 1Malaysia are woven into the economic, political and social fabric of society”.

In March last year, I challenged all the Barisan Nasional Cabinet Ministers to declare in Parliament that they accept the 1Malaysia definition of nation-building – but not a single BN Minister, including the four MCA Ministers, dared to contradict the Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO Deputy President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin when he declared that he was Malay first and Malaysian second!

This was why Najib’s 1Malaysia was quickly exposed as a hollow one, nothing more than a public relations exercise and a 1Malaysia circus mired in 1Malaysia Tupperware, 1Malaysia T-shirt, 1Malaysia Mineral Water, 1Malaysia Burger and other 1Malaysia goodies.

Malaysian voters regardless of race who had voted and supported the DAP through the ten general elections from 1969 to 2008 did so because of their support for the DAP’s vision of a democratic, clean, fair, just and united Malaysian nation of diverse races and religions, and not for a Chinese Malaysia or a “little China” coined by Chua.

Chua cannot possibly believe that he could influence a single Chinese voter with the lie that the DAP wants to create a “little China” in Malaysia.

Why then is he making such an irresponsible allegation, with the MCA newspaper the Star giving it full coverage?

The purpose is clear – to provide grist to the ultra UMNO mills like Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian in their campaign to smear and demonise the DAP as anti-Malay and anti-Islam to scare the Malay voters from supporting and voting for the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat.

Already the UMNO propaganda mills, particularly Utusan and Berita, face a crisis of credibility with the law of diminishing returns working against them – with more and more Malays disbelieving their lies about the DAP being anti-Malay and anti-Islam, with their tall tales of a DAP plot to create a Christian Malaysia and appoint a Christian Prime Minister.

Now, these Umno mills of lies and poisonous propaganda will get a breather as they will be able to quote the MCA President himself with the latest despicable and dastardly lie against the DAP of wanting to create a “little China” in Malaysia.

How unprincipled and low can you go, Chua Soi Lek, as MCA President?