Media statement by Teo Nie Ching in Serdang on Sunday, 1^st May 2011:

Najib rolls out red carpet for PAS, what say you Chua Soi Lek?

Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday openly urged PAS to ditch the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and work with Umno for the sake of the Malay and Muslim community.

Since then, many leaders from PAS, including Vice-presidents Salahuddin Ayub and Mahfuz Omar, former Perak MB Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, PAS strategist Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and not to forget the spiritual leader of PAS Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat, have all flatly rejected and ridiculed Najib's call for the party to join the BN ruling coalition.

While it is obvious that such an invitation is a desperate attempt by Najib to divide and break PR, we need to know what are the views of other BN component parties on this suggestion, especially MCA and Gerakan, who have been trying so hard to demonize PAS.

Ever since Chua Soi Lek was elected as the President, MCA has adopted a so-called high-profile approach in addressing political and social issues. As a result of this new approach, Chua Soi Lek recently announced that it had been decided in a MCA presidential council meeting that if MCA is unable to gain support from the Chinese community, the party will reject any federal, state and local government posts, so as to reflect the spirit of democracy by letting the people choose their desired government.

If Chua Soi Lek truly comprehends the 'spirit of democracy', then why didn't he ask Deputy Finance Minister Donald Lim and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Gan Ping Sieu to immediately resign from their ministerial positions as both of them were rejected by the rakyat during the 12th General Election? Why wait till the 13th General Election?

Chua's latest remark is akin to a robber saying that he knows it is wrong to rob and he will only stop robbing people after a certain time, or a rapist saying that he knows what he does is wrong but he will only repent a few months or few years later!

The appointments of Donald Lim and Gan Ping Sieu as Deputy Ministers are highly insulting as it is against the people¡¯s choice. MCA¡¯s failure to instruct Donald Lim and Gan Ping Sieu to resign immediately shows that MCA never really respects the decision and desire of rakyat, and the recent 'decision' to withdraw from the government if the party were to perform as badly or worse than they did during 308 is nothing but an attempt to intimidate and blackmail the Chinese community and voters.

At the same time, Chua was reported in The Star as saying that his party will still remain in BN even if MCA's performance in the next general election is dismal as MCA is very confident in our Prime Minister Najib Razak's leadership.

However, Najib has now expressed his and his party's willingness to work with PAS, a party has been labelled and painted by MCA as an evil force in Malaysia, therefore is Chua Soi Lek brave enough to tell Najib that BN should choose either MCA or PAS? Does MCA have the courage to tell Najib that it will ditch BN if Umno continues to roll out the red carpet for PAS? Can Chua Soi Lek maintain his consistency in denouncing PAS and keep up his high-profile approach?

* Teo Nie Ching, DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary & MP for Serdang