ELECTED representatives should speak up, particularly on issues affecting livelihood, says Penang MCA vice-chairman Dr Tan Chuan Hong.
Tan said MPs, assemblymen and city councillors must play their role.
“If existing regulations are outdated or adversely affect the rights of any community, amendments should be proposed and debated in the legislature, rather than blindly adhering to the status quo,” he said at a Chinese New Year dinner in Butterworth with media practitioners.
Citing the example of advertising signboards, Tan said many business owners, especially older establishments that had long displayed their names prominently in local languages, were now prevented from renewing licences unless their business names appeared more prominently in Bahasa Malaysia.
Instead of proposing amendments, some representatives chose to cite statutory requirements to justify inaction, he said.
Tan, who is also Bagan MCA division chairman, highlighted the role of the media as the Fourth Estate of democracy.
In his speech, he commended local media organisations for maintaining professional standards and producing factual, well-substantiated reports, noting that responsible journalism provided the public with objective and credible information.
Bagan MCA, Tan pledged, would continue to speak up on issues affecting the rights and welfare of the Chinese community, stressing that the party must adopt a pragmatic and strategic approach.
He said MCA divisions should intensify grassroots engagement in constituencies where Chinese voters made up about 48% of the electorate, while working closely with Barisan Nasional partners in areas where the percentage was lower to strengthen electoral competitiveness.
