KUALA LUMPUR: The late Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik faced strong resistance within MCA to push through a historic party constitutional amendment that opened more political space for women, says former Wanita MCA chief Tan Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
She said Dr Ling insisted that each MCA division must reserve at least one central delegate seat to be elected by the Wanita wing, a move that guaranteed women formal representation and voting rights at the top decision-making level.
"Dr Ling pushed this through eventhough many men were unhappy. He faced a lot of pressure. No other political party had done this – to put it clearly in the constitution that there must be at least one woman central delegate from each division," she said at a press conference on Tuesday (April 7).
"This meant there would be at least about 200 women central delegates. After that, we started to see more women village heads, women councillors and even the first woman chief of MCA Youth.
"For me, this is something I am very proud of," she added, noting that the Wanita wing passed a resolution at the 2003 general assembly recognising him as the "Father of Wanita MCA development".
Ng said when she first became Wanita MCA chief in 2000, Dr Ling "tested" the strength of the movement by asking it to organise 10,000-strong dinners in every state.
"Only later did I realise he was testing the capability of Wanita MCA. Every state managed to organise a 10,000-strong dinner.
Ng said political protocol and ranking were also important, citing her own decision to contest for the party vice-presidency.
"When I decided to run for vice-president, I wanted to break the mould. The whole Wanita movement stood behind me. There were four vice-president posts – I said, just give me one, that's not too much," she said.
She said she worked "relentlessly" to ensure Wanita MCA continued to defend not only women's rights but also the interests of Malaysians as a whole.
"We are very sad. He was truly great. He never spoke harshly. He was known for saying that 'you should leave half a sentence unsaid'," Ng added.
Wanita MCA chief Datuk Wong You Fong said the women's wing had advanced on the firm institutional platform that Dr Ling created.
"It was real and written into the party constitution… to ensure there would always be at least one Wanita central delegate with voting and speaking rights," she said.
"In promoting women's rights – for example, the call for 30% women in decision-making positions – he was a strong advocate. In some divisions, there are branches made up entirely of women, led fully by women," Wong added.
Former Wanita MCA chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie said that although her generation came later, they were deeply inspired by Dr Ling's approach.
"Although we are the later successors, what moved us most was how he showed that to change the country, you must change the laws and party rules.
"For this, our 440,000-strong 'women's army' is very grateful."
Heng said Wanita MCA carried forward his spirit in 2016 by further strengthening women's representation through additional party constitutional amendments over the years.
"Following Dr Ling's fighting spirit, each division now has at least two central delegates from the Youth and Wanita wings – the MCA Youth division chief and the Wanita division chief," she said.
"Compared with the difficulty and significance of the breakthroughs he achieved in the early years, what we have done cannot be compared. We extend our deepest respect to him," Heng added.
