Chinese group wants PM to intervene in MCA-Perkasa spat

Ibrahim had labelled the Chinese community as ungrateful after the Hulu Selangor by-election. — file pic


PUTRAJAYA, April 30 — The Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) wants the prime minister to intervene and help resolve the war of words between Perkasa and MCA.

Its deputy secretary-general, Chin Yew Sin, told The Malaysian Insider that the continued conflict between MCA and the Malay right-wing group will be detrimental to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) chances in the next general election.

“The prime minister should advise everybody to stop talking about this sensitive issue. He should step in and stop the argument. He should stop this racial argument because the longer it continues, then it would be near impossible for BN to recapture the support of the Chinese community,” he said.

He criticised Perkasa for attacking other races, especially the Chinese community, after the recently concluded Hulu Selangor by-election.

“It is OK if you want to ask [for] something for your community but don’t attack other communities. I think it is not good for Perkasa to do that.

“Especially after the Hulu Selangor by-election, it was too much of them to ask the government not to give aid to the Chinese community. Who are you? You can fight for your rights but do not deny other people of their rights,” he said.

Perkasa’s chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali called the Chinese community “ungrateful” and urged the government to ignore demands made by the MCA and Gerakan as punishment for their failure to attract Chinese voters.

Chinese support for BN dipped below 30 percent when MIC’s P. Kamalanathan secured a 1,725-vote majority win over PKR’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, down from the 35 per cent it had garnered during Election 2008.

Chin also agreed with MCA’s assessment that “organisations like Perkasa” was the reason for BN’s failure in recapturing the community’s support, especially in last Sunday’s by-election.

“I think it is one of the reasons because all this while, the Chinese community feels that they have not been treated fairly by the government. So when some leaders start uttering strange statements, then of course it will arouse their emotions.

“I think [the reason] why the Chinese community did not vote for Barisan Nasional is because they were not happy with the statements of not only Perkasa but also government leaders,” he said.

Chin was also disappointed with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s willingness to defend Perkasa and its racial rhetoric.

The former premier yesterday told MCA to rid itself of “extremist Chinese” before demanding that Umno reject the Malay right-wing group.

“I think this is not a fair statement because in every community, there are bound to be extremists. As an elder statesman, he should try to ease the tension and not get involved in the war of words between Perkasa and MCA. He should try to stop it and not encourage it,” he said.