Touting himself as the voice of wisdom and experience, Datuk Chua Jui Meng is standing for the post of MCA president at party elections next month. He tells TAN CHOE CHOE why he is uniquely qualified to be party chief.
Q: What do you think is your advantage in this presidential race?A: At a time of crisis, at a time when the party is deeply wounded, you need people of seniority and experience to lead the party and to articulate on major issues. I bring with me an involvement in politics starting from 1969, May 13 -- 39 years of involvement in student politics, MCA politics and national politics. I bring with me 15 years of experience in government, nine years of which was as a minister. I'm a person who's prepared to speak out clearly on matters which affect the Chinese community; matters of importance to the nation as a whole. I also have my performance in the Ministry of Health, which I took from being a backwater ministry to one that's highly respected in terms of administration, approach and care of the population.
Q: Some people say that you should stay retired rather than come back to active politics.
A: I wanted to retire from active politics after 2005. I asked the party to support (Datuk Seri) Ong Ka Ting when he won. I left him to lead the party, gave him and the deputy a chance to prove themselves. Before March 8 (general election), I still wanted to let the young people continue. But after the debacle, the party cannot wait another three years for reform. Otherwise, it'll become totally irrelevant, not only to the Chinese, but to the entire electorate. If I forsake my party now, history will record me as a person who did not care enough to want to change the party.
Q: You're not a minister now... are you facing any difficulty convincing the delegates that you can deliver what you promise?
A: Not so far. What strikes me in my walkabout with the central delegates is their realisation that they're in a hopeless condition. A window-dressing of four ministers in the government does not help. In the hearts of the central delegates, there is a great desire that MCA be transformed and they're looking for a leader who can do it. The fact that you're a minister does not mean that you have the solution. You are a minister because of the untoward event of March 8 where 65 per cent of our candidates were wiped out. In the name of making the party more youthful, so many senior candidates, people with a track record of winning, were taken out, including me.
Q: There are news reports that team you up with Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. Are you on the same side?
A: I think people are still trying to locate their point of comfort. It will take a bit more time before something clearer emerges. Who will be linked with whom ... (it's) still not very clear.
Q: How is your relationship with Dr Chua?
A: My relationship with him has always been good.
Q: How about your relationship with Datuk Ong Tee Keat?
A: It used to be good. But he has not contacted me since I became marginalised (after his failed bid to unseat Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting). So I can't say.
Q: If not a formal team-up with Dr Chua, did you two strike a deal which led him to contest for the No 2 post and not the No 1 position?
A: I think he found his own level of comfort and he believes that No 2 is a good position for him.
Q: If you should win, how do you plan to revive MCA?
A: MCA has to put its house in order. It must first transform itself into a truly political party and not a social organisation. We have to address national politics that has caused BN as a whole to lose. Policies that are on the radar of the Malays, Chinese and the Indians.
Q: You said MCA should get rid of its fear of other parties within the BN. Does that mean you're going to redefine MCA's role in the coalition, especially in relation to Umno?
A: The MCA must be no more a party of expediency. It must be a party of principles. You must be prepared to talk on major issues. We need senior people, not necessarily in terms of age, but experience and wisdom, within the cabinet and state governments. The problem with MCA is that they (present leadership) equated intelligence with youth. They forgot the more important quality called wisdom. You have to be able to be on equal standing with Umno leaders. Umno has got senior, wise ministers. You have young (MCA) people in the cabinet without that wisdom, without that track record of speaking up on important issues. You (the present MCA leadership) now say you can do it, that you can sit there and debate with Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, negotiate with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and deal with Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar. I tell you, you're no match. You cannot have a Perodua running in a Grand Prix.
Q: Is MCA still going to stick with the policy of dealing with problems in the coalition behind closed doors?
A: No. We have to be more articulate. Every political party in the world has one unqualified right -- the right to disagree. You have the right to analyse, criticise and say no. What did we do? We took this right and we told Lim Kit Siang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, please take it. You dissent, we keep quiet.
Q: What's the first thing you want to do if you win?
A: If I'm the president after the votes have been counted, I'll stand in front of the camera and all the leaders of MCA in the nation, and raise my right hand and say, "I, Chua Jui Meng, president of MCA, will not be corrupt."
Q: Many say that presidential candidate Datuk Ong Tee Keat is a shoo-in. Many seem to have written you off even before you offered yourself.
A: ntv7 asked me why the party lost so much (in the March general election). I said "mou shi zai ren, cheng shi zai tian" (Men proposes, God disposes). Until the last vote is counted, do not count your chickens before they are hatched. The delegates are talking about change -- who can have the vision and ability to lead us. Who can transform not only the party, but also the fate of the Chinese community and balance the races of this country? Who has got the depth of experience?
Q: If you are to take over, will MCA become a plural party instead of a communal party?
A: Is there an alternative? There'll be 800,000 new voters in the next round and they're all young and net savvy. We have to be multiracial in philosophy and approach. But if I'm the president and open the doors to the Malays and Indians, why would they want to come in when we can't even get our house in order? But over time, we have to evolve into a multi-racial party. We have to change our outlook and look at ourselves as Malaysians.
Q: How has the last few years been for you?
A: Wonderful. I've been rejuvenated, re-energised and refreshed. I was marginalised but I was an MP and served wherever I could. If the general election had not gone the way it had, I'd be happy to retire. I know what it entails for the next president. It will be the most difficult presidency in the history of the party. You have to use here (points to head) and here (heart) to rebuild the party, return it to relevance, and to achieve vision 2020.
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