YOURSAY | Let bygones be bygones

YOURSAY | ’MCA should acknowledge its mistakes and move on.’

DAP doesn't have 'free time' like MCA to dwell on past grievances - Loke

LimePanther5220: MCA, what a myopic party you are.

Your constant focus and concentrated attacks on DAP are amazing. What a waste of an annual general meeting (AGM) to be bemoaning your ill-fortunes due to DAP.

If DAP had vilified you in the past, don’t tell me that you had taken it lying down, otherwise, you are not worth your salt.

You had it good for over 50 years. You have strategised well and have been in the ruling government over these long years.

However, somewhere along the line, you lost the plot. You either failed or chose not to see the changing tide, the increasing discontent of the people whom you were representing.

DAP’s sin was that they were incidentally there, providing an alternative to you. In every contest, there must be a winner and a loser.

Unfortunately, at this moment, you are the loser. What do you think of a player who claims that his opponent cheated every time he loses?

I would suggest that you be big-hearted. Just admit your failures, learn from them and move on. It presents so much a better picture of yourself.

Determined Sarawakian: Well, MCA Youth chief Nicole Wong, since you are dwelling in the past, do you even recognise what DAP argued and fought against?

Let's go back to the late 1960s. Why was there a clash between the Chinese and Malays, and that resulted in numerous fatalities on both sides?

That has become the bedrock of ethnic strife and affirmative policies.

Or were the MCA chiefs only good at getting rich and prosperous? Even the People’s Action Party (PAP) then, refused to work with MCA!

The late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew, thought MCA was fermenting Chinese nationalism - typically called Nanyang Chinese Nationalism!!

In the 1970s, after the 1969 tragedy, MCA was a “yes” party in BN, nothing more.

They would constantly accede to various demands regarding vernacular schools, religion and businesses.

In the 1980s, MCA politicians and business people linked to the party were involved in scandals and corruption.

The party became divided into factions - Team A, Team B and even Team C at one point.

MCA began to lose trust after so many scandals and people would say, "MCA only fought for us when the issues made headlines”.

Minor or difficult grassroots issues were swept under the carpet.

Hence, many sought the assistance of DAP, when rights were violated. Of course, these weren't highlighted in the media.

When the political tsunami took place in 2008, MCA and Gerakan woke up. By then, it was too late, marking the decline of both parties.

Well, MCA is now a part of a coalition with Pakatan Harapan and must learn to offer criticism graciously, instead of airing things in public like dirty laundry.

Provide points for improvement instead of being abrasive. Work as a partner with DAP as your party once had with Gerakan. As they say, "Two heads are better than one"!

Where is MCA’s legal bureau that helps your grassroots and needy?

Begin with appreciating citizens' concerns with small steps, not just ones that are blighted with pride and sarcasm. This will slowly gain the trust of ordinary people.

Remember, we're watching and learning.

GrayViper3165: The Malaysian Chinese will never forget MCA for doing nothing during BN’s heyday.

MCA leaders were seen as only being interested in positions and wealth.

They allowed Umno to implement race-based policies, disregarded meritocracy, issued approved permits (APs), 30 percent bumiputera shareholding and so on. None of the MCA ministers in the cabinet challenged any of it.

Look at the civil service, police force and the armed forces. How many percent of them are ethnic Chinese? MCA probably has less than 10 percent of ethnic Chinese support.

Apanama is back: We often have things in our past that we resent.

If terrible things happen to us, we may feel that we are so damaged as to have no way to create a better future. MCA may fall into this category and keep on harping on its past.

Thankfully, the past can never take away our capacity to change how we see and explain it.

The past is a vast sequence of countless events, big and small. What we remember of it is a selection understood through an interpretation.

We can change both the selection and the interpretation. MCA seems not to want to let go of its past grievances with DAP.

They are now using it to score points. We may remember those incidents from our past where we were wronged.

But if we seek the positive, we may discover that some good things have also happened to us. While some people have hurt us, others have helped us.

Just the fact that we are alive and survived until today, indicates that there’s been more good than bad in our past. MCA is doomed.

Mosquitobrain: MCA president Wee Ka Siong, the two MP seats are given to MCA as a token by your master, Umno.

BN and Umno will take back Tanjung Piai and Ayer Hitam and continue to seek new partners after GE16. Let's see how MCA is going to strike out on its own without Umno.

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