Hisham tells MCA to prove it's still relevant

RAUB - Umno vice president Hishammuddin Hussein (right) said Sunday MCA must prove that the party is still relevant to the Chinese community in the country.

He said though the support from Chinese voters during the recent Hulu Selangor Parliamentary by-election showed a decline, it may not necessarily mean the Chinese community had lost confidence in MCA.

"They (MCA) must prove that they can recapture the support of the Chinese," he told reporters after the general assembly of 30 Umno branches in Cameron Highlands, Sungai Koyan, near here.

Hishammuddin said Umno, as the main component party in BN, remains confident of MCA's capabilities to regain the confidence of the Chinese community, towards the party.

"Umno itself had gone through a difficult period and did some soul searching to adopt changes and remain relevant in the new political landscape. Being a component party of BN, Umno will continue to fully support MCA," he said.

Hishammuddin said what was important was the need for a holistic change to attract the Chinese community's confidence towards MCA.

Made major changes

Asked about the small percentage of Chinese voters who voted for the BN candidate during the Hulu Selangor by-election, Hishammuddin said Umno itself was rejected in a number of by-elections before.

"In this matter, there are many reasons, of it is also related to the question leadership, ( tainted leadership ? ) but what is important is to place the party's struggle before anything else and continue to place the needs of the people above everything else. It is a process we must go through," he said.

He added that Umno had made major changes to regain the confidence of the Malays: "So, component parties in BN must also make changes."

"Do not point fingers at others. Parties under BN must sit together to discuss the best way forward," he said. - Bernama