KUANTAN: Is it wrong to say MCA will work with all parties to restore the country's political stability, asks Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker (pic).
The MCA vice-president said as a moderate party, it would work with anyone, even the DAP, to achieve that goal by making the Constitution and noble values as a foundation.
"I am surprised that my statement that MCA will work with all parties for the sake of the people and the country could be used as an excuse by the DAP to belittle and humiliate PAS as well as pit MCA against the Chinese community by claiming that MCA glorifies PAS," he said.
Ti was responding to DAP's Pasir Pinji assemblyman Howard Lee, the party's former Youth chief, who had called out the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister for supposedly glorifying an extremist party, submitting to its agenda and giving it power and prominence at the expense of his own party's credibility.
Ti said Lee tried to dispute the existence of PAS and accused the Islamist party of being willing to set aside the Constitution if it came to power.
"DAP forgets that it married, divorced and remarried PAS on several occasions. It even helped appoint a PAS assemblyman as Perak Mentri Besar in 2008.
"DAP used to tell Chinese voters not to be afraid of PAS.
"The current DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke once said, 'If we don't steal and rob, let's not be afraid of PAS' struggle.' Why did DAP suddenly bark at the moon when my statement did not even mention or refer to PAS in the entire session with the media in Kuantan?" Ti asked.
During a press conference at an event here on Saturday (April 2), Ti was asked about MCA's relationship with PAS, to which he replied that MCA had never excluded working with other parties as long as it was in line with the Constitution, noble values and for the sake of the people and country.
Lee responded to Ti by saying that MCA was prepared to hang on to PAS' coattails so long as it stayed in power.