MCA IN CABINET

By Dr Mahathir Mohamad

1. Helen Ang, in an open letter criticised me for welcoming MCA’s decision to rejoin the BN cabinet. She pointed out that the MCA won only 7 seats while DAP won 39 seats. The MCA therefore does not represent the Chinese.

2. The BN is a coalition of like-minded political parties. They may represent their race or they may not. But they believe in the creed of sharing the wealth and the political power of this country between the different races.

3. The DAP does not believe in sharing between the races. It believes in meritocracy – the best takes all, and the devil takes the hindmost.

4. DAP knows that for example on a basis of merit the indigenous people of Malaysia would stand little chance of winning a fair number of the scholarships. This will deny them the opportunity for improving their station in life.

5. Chinese parents can afford to send their children for university education at home and abroad. With Government scholarships largely going to them their numbers would even be bigger. Less number of indigenous people parents cannot afford to support their children for university education.

6. Currently the Chinese dominate the economy and own a large portion of the wealth. Even with the NEP the gap in wealth between Bumis and non-Bumis is very wide. Prior to the NEP, the Bumis who make up the 60% of the people own only 2% of the wealth. Even as Bumis’ wealth grows through NEP schemes, Chinese wealth with a higher base would grow faster. The disparity in wealth ownership would get worse.

7. At the moment the UMNO Malays seem to dominate politics. They are willing to share some political power with the Chinese and Indians. For this they are willing to give up some of their constituencies to their partners and to vote for them. Their political strength balances somewhat their lower economic power.

8. The DAP is bent on seizing political power from UMNO without giving up any economic dominance. It believes that through meritocracy and the split among the Malays it can do this.

9. The DAP does not want to join the BN coalition because of its Malay majority. In 1969 it was invited but when everyone else accepted, DAP refused. It rejects totally the concept of sharing with other races, unless the Chinese dominate completely in politics as they dominate in the economy.
10. Its willingness to work with PAS and PKR is simply because it needs their votes. It may even accept a PM from PAS or PKR. But as shown in the Pakatan Government in Perak, the DAP controlled the PAS-led Pakatan Government. The DAP will control the PM if Pakatan wins. PAS and PKR knowing what they are and will always be totally dependent on DAP and Chinese votes, will accept being subservient to the DAP.

11. The MCA maybe small. That is because it cannot counter DAP‘s racist politics. It knows very well that its commitment to share wealth and political power with UMNO Malays will cause it to lose Chinese support. But it still believes in the sharing concept of BN.

12. This is a multiracial country. No one race can have both economic wealth and political power. For so long as each, wish to retain their ethnicity, the sharing of political and economic power between races will be necessary. Until everyone is totally identified with this country, and everyone shares fairly political and economic power the fact of race cannot be ignored.

13. Whether the DAP has more Chinese support than the MCA is irrelevant. What is relevant and important is the rejection of dominance by any race and the willingness to share wealth and political power fairly between the races.

14. I therefore welcome the decision of the MCA to rejoin the BN cabinet.