KUALA LUMPUR: Finding ways to revive the national economy is more constructive than riding on the people’s emotions, says MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
“DAP hijacked Bersih 4 and sowed the seeds of hatred, pitting the different races in the country,” said Liow after opening MCA’s conference “Mapping 10 Economic Strategic Directions” here yesterday.
To this, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng warned the MCA president not to play with fire.
On Thursday, reports quoted Liow as saying that Bersih 4 should not be turned into a racial issue although the majority of the participants might be Chinese.
A day later, in Kota Baru, Liow said MCA’s core values were to safeguard racial harmony and take a moderate stance.
The party will not take on confrontational politics, he added.
“Confrontational politics are the opposite of what our MCA founding fathers had propagated and who are we to change these core values which took nearly half a century to build?
“As the MCA president, I stand by the core values that has been set since the MCA started, and will reject racial or religious extremism that will cause unrest and violence if not curbed.
“MCA is a moderate party. It will continue with this approach and will not be bullied by any other party to submit to race-based politics,” he said at MCA’s 66th anniversary dinner held at SMKC Chung Cheng.
Separately, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, who closed the conference, urged party leaders to sansi (in mandarin, meaning think three times) before speaking.
He was referring to the party’s Kluang division chairman Gan Ping Sieu, who had repeatedly called for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to take leave until investigations on the RM2.6bil donations were complete.
Dr Wee refuted Gan’s claims that the party was but a “dead man walking”.
He added that MCA had a to function in the Cabinet and the Government.
“He who once held a high position in a ministry (referring to Gan who was the former Youth and Sports deputy minister) should know better than anyone.”
