FMT:
Don’t give MCA ‘ammo’ by attacking them, Ong tells DAP
Former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming says MCA is seeking to give DAP ‘a taste of its own medicine’.
Former DAP MP Ong Kian Ming said MCA leaders like Wee Ka Siong and Ti Lian Ker should not be given the opportunity to gain publicity.
PETALING JAYA: A former DAP MP has advised his party against attacking MCA, saying such criticisms would only provide the Chinese-based party, which is seeking to stay relevant, “ammunition” to respond.
Ong Kian Ming said MCA is looking to get back at DAP for criticisms it levelled against the Barisan Nasional component in the past.
In the latest episode of his podcast “Are We OK?”, the former two-term MP said MCA is seeking to give DAP a taste of its own medicine.
“MCA is actually searching for legitimacy and we don’t need to give them ammunition.
“We shouldn’t give space for people like Wee Ka Siong or Ti Lian Ker to use this issue (criticisms) to gain publicity,” he said, referring to the MCA president and former vice-president, respectively.
Ong said when MCA leaders respond to such attacks they would make “headlines in certain newspapers”.
He was commenting on DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok’s claim in an interview that MCA is “lost” over its supposed attacks against her party.
Earlier, Ong said MCA leaders are yearning to regain their legitimacy among the non-Malays, especially the Chinese voters, which is why it focused on DAP, its main political rival.
“By picking on PKR or other parties, they may not necessarily be able to gain back that legitimacy,” he said.
He said MCA is in “deep trouble” in terms of political legitimacy.
While the party is part of the current unity government with two MPs, they hold no posts. The two representatives are Wee, who is the Ayer Hitam MP, and Wee Jeck Seng, the Tanjung Piai MP.
“They can’t leave BN because they know that once they are on their own, they will not survive politically,” he said.
At the same time, Ong said, MCA is seeking to find relevance within the unity government.
One of the things it is trying to do is to “criticise and zoom in on certain government policies”, especially those that have to do with ministers from DAP.
“So they are playing the role of trying to check and balance DAP within the context of the unity government,” he said.
PETALING JAYA: A former DAP MP has advised his party against attacking MCA, saying such criticisms would only provide the Chinese-based party, which is seeking to stay relevant, “ammunition” to respond.
Ong Kian Ming said MCA is looking to get back at DAP for criticisms it levelled against the Barisan Nasional component in the past.
In the latest episode of his podcast “Are We OK?”, the former two-term MP said MCA is seeking to give DAP a taste of its own medicine.
“MCA is actually searching for legitimacy and we don’t need to give them ammunition.
“We shouldn’t give space for people like Wee Ka Siong or Ti Lian Ker to use this issue (criticisms) to gain publicity,” he said, referring to the MCA president and former vice-president, respectively.
Ong said when MCA leaders respond to such attacks they would make “headlines in certain newspapers”.
He was commenting on DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok’s claim in an interview that MCA is “lost” over its supposed attacks against her party.
Earlier, Ong said MCA leaders are yearning to regain their legitimacy among the non-Malays, especially the Chinese voters, which is why it focused on DAP, its main political rival.
“By picking on PKR or other parties, they may not necessarily be able to gain back that legitimacy,” he said.
He said MCA is in “deep trouble” in terms of political legitimacy.
While the party is part of the current unity government with two MPs, they hold no posts. The two representatives are Wee, who is the Ayer Hitam MP, and Wee Jeck Seng, the Tanjung Piai MP.
“They can’t leave BN because they know that once they are on their own, they will not survive politically,” he said.
At the same time, Ong said, MCA is seeking to find relevance within the unity government.
One of the things it is trying to do is to “criticise and zoom in on certain government policies”, especially those that have to do with ministers from DAP.
“So they are playing the role of trying to check and balance DAP within the context of the unity government,” he said.
Just soaking up unfair MCA attacks is not tenable either.
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