Media statement (2) by Teresa Kok Suh Sim in Shah Alam on Thursday, 21^st April 2011:

MCA leaders' failure to condemn Utusan Malaysia's racist call for 1Melayu 1Bumi proves again how powerless MCA is against UMNO

It's been two days since the recalcitrant UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia fanned the flames of racial disunity by calling for a 1Melayu, 1Bumi movement to battle the so-called Chinese challenge to Malay dominance in Malaysia, and yet, MCA leaders are still conspicuously silent on the matter.

The only reported statement by MCA on the matter is a quote of MCA Vice-President Liow Tiong Lai saying, "Utusan cannot generalise the whole thing. It has nothing to do with race. It has more to do with the urban needs and the rural needs." (Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/mca-sarawak-chinese-voted-on-urban-rural-lines-not-race/ )

How weak, meek and gentle Liow was towards Utusan Malaysia's incendiary call to say nothing of how Utusan Malaysia's call was the ultimate insult to Prime Minister Najib Razak's 1Malaysia which MCA claims to support.

MCA's reticent response to Utusan Malaysia is expected given MCA's track record of handling Utusan Malaysia's with kid gloves. They can't not kowtow to Utusan Malaysia for fear of offending UMNO, owner of Utusan and the dominant party of Barisan Nasional (BN).

This shows that the BN "power-sharing" system preached by MCA to uphold the interest of the Chinese and other races in Malaysia is a complete and utter fraud. It cannot be real or effective if MCA can't even express the outrage towards Utusan Malaysia being voiced out by the very Malaysians of Chinese descent which MCA claims to represent.

Liow's statement is in fact an attempt to backpaddle from the race-based BN structure which they have propped up for MCA's own political expediency.

Furthermore, Liow's statement that race is not a factor is a direct contradiction of his earlier statement that it was racial polarization that had lead to SUPP's Chinese candidates being ousted in the Sarawak state elections. (Source: http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/201337?tid=1 )

It appears that Liow switches his position depending on what is most politically expedient for him and MCA at the moment.

However, I am pleased that Liow now acknowledged the truth that DAP did not win our seats on racial politics and that DAP also received substantial support of non-Chinese community in Sarawak.

I urge MCA leaders to grow a backbone and openly condemn Utusan Malaysia's 1Melayu 1Bumi movement as Pakatan Rakyat leaders have done if MCA is to have any credibility as the party that upholds the interests of the Chinese that they claim to be.

* Teresa Kok Suh Sim, Selangor State Senior EXCO for Investment, Industry & Trade & MP for Seputeh