JUI MENG TAKES SWIPE AT HIS PRESIDENT

desiderata.civilsociety



At the start, let me declare that YLChong has been an Opposition supporter (Socialist remember? Though conversationist TigerJoe describes me as one from the closet…;)) throughout his short sojourn on earth. Not that he has many options or much choice -- a writer’s poetic bent is often inclined towards the Ideal state, so this means a leaning towards Reform, towards Change, well I’m sure you got my meaning by now. And so the local political landscape dictates that the participation in the political process is best served via the opposite pole of the Establishment. But YLChong DOES NOT oppose for opposition’s sake. When the Prime Minister does the RightThing, I’d be the first to stand up to support him. Even when the Opposition talks half truths and nonsense, I don’t stand for their crap and drivel.

Being in the journalism profession – which he takes seriously – YLChong had given up membership in a party as the professional required it. Now that he is in a freelance position, no more beholden to any employer, YLChong scribes this morning’s post from a vantage point now made very clear, so his "vested interest" is transparently, I hope, declared.

I believe this reflection is still in line within the ambit of Desiderata.CivilSociety discourse, one of three goals he outlined as the three main objectives in starting this Weblog – the other two being Desiderata.English on Sunday; and Desiderata.Truth, very rarely visited. Along the way I went into the Byway of Desiderata.Happiness because of his sifu, Max EHRMANN from whose simple yet deep poem, only became famous after his moving on, of the same title this Blog’s name is (respectfully) derived.

So here goes, writing as an outsider looking in, but from the vantage point as a freelance Journalist.


As I sat across the BF (non-CON today, being not Sunday) table from Mr Coww, I spied a fullpage advertisement in the Oriental Daily News featuring CHUA JUI MENG, current senior MCA vice-president without a Cabinet post, outlining his manifesto for his challenge against incumbent President ONG KA TING for the political (or is it welfare? YLChong’s first dig, sly no doubt, that’s the politician in me… here!) party post of CEO. The only thing that caught my eye was “lateral thinkers”, then chuajuimeng.com.


For the English edducated here – Chua ranks among them, but giving him credit that he tries to master Mandarin to address his people, he did challenge Ong (who humbly did not accept) in debating in that lingua franca now most widely used on this planet of six billion people, oh, I digress s-lightly…) – let’s turn to page 2 of theSun August 18, 2005 – my subscriber copy, unlike many of you KEDEKUTS out there patronizing 7ELEVEN for freebies … I’m planning to start a new English daily called SEVEN7, any investor with RM60million to spapre for five-year experiment with, of course, Desi as CEO, MD, chirman and sole Columnist – the name of the game is ABSOLUTE POWER and CONTROL, now definitely 100percent-digressing!;)). Responsibility includes admitting to one’s faults or frailties, yes? (That’s a rhetorical Q. addressed to Ong and Chua, not my EsteemedReaders.)


(INTERMISSION: Received a call from a bsuinessman-friend, quite likely with strong MCA connectsions, to join him for lunch, which Desi would never refuse, hence this column is delayed; see you sometime after 3pm!)



TheSun headline says it sweepingly well:

Jui Meng takes a swipe at Ka Ting

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA presidential candidateDatuk Chua Jui Meng had plenty to say about the party, its leadership and political culture during a two-hour press conference yesterday. And he saved some of his most stinging criticisms for uncumbent [resident Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.
Branding Ong as lacking courage and humility, the MCA veteran and outgoing vice-president belittled his opponent for refusing to debate him.
“If the most powerful man on earth, the president of the United States, can find the humility and courage to engage in open debates, I don’t see why the MCA president cannot do so,” Chua said.
“I am English educated. Yet, he did not turn up to face the Chinese community in a debate in Chinese with me last month.”


As usual, Desi won’t spoil (pamper like babes?) his DiscerningReaders with full extract of what Chua said some more, go grab the freebie from the 7ELEVEN nearest you! Just an inkling, other topics touched on by te MCA president-hopeful are Party Culture,Vision, Leadership, English-speaking, Teamwork; but the introduction I extracted from his website just to show what Chua is aiming at with his promise for REFORM under the ” New Politics, New Vision and a New MCA" he skillfully captured via his Manifesto he wants his members to ponder over, especially those delegates who will cast their votes soon... (Pic in theSun showing a well-designed Manifesto with eye=catching cover ...go study its contents, willya? then write me a thesis ... hey, maybe fits into National Day essays on "THE MALAYSIAN DILEMMA" due August 25, remember? This is NOT a rhetorical Q!:))



""**On the 20th of August 2005, the issue of the entire national level leadership, including the office of the Presidency, will finally come to the hands of the Party’s Central Delegates in its General Assembly, the highest decision making body of the Party. It is historic not only because it will be the first elections of the 21st Century, but more crucially because it will determine the type of leadership and direction the Party needs. I appeal to all Central Delegates to vote wisely without fear or favour. The future of the Party and the Chinese Community lies in your hands. Vote in accordance with your wisdom and conscience; vote in such a way that it will strengthen the Party in the eyes of the Malaysian Chinese and the nation. I am serious when I tell you all that this election will determine the acceptability of our Party and its future in the decades ahead. Can we renew our beloved Party so that it can hold its head high in honour and esteem in the years to come? I believe that there will be more than enough of you to make the difference to make our Party better and more dynamic for all of us. I appeal to you to vote with the future of the Malaysian Chinese in mind!
I stand before you as a candidate for the Presidency of the Malaysian Chinese Association with a promise to set new directions for our community. I aim to have policies in the area of politics, economics, education and culture that will transform and impact our community for generations to come. I envision that in 2020 we will be a modern, vibrant and economically strong community. I stand before you with a manifesto that promises to restore, revitalise and renew our Party and community! A manifesto that will ensure that the voice and aspirations of the Malaysian Chinese community will always be heard in the corridors of power and that we will always be valued partners in the making of the Malaysian dream.
Elect me and I promise New Politics, New Vision and a New MCA!**""


(NOTE: So far, I have yet to sight any manifesto from incumbent President Ong, so I can't place any extracts here for comparison. Rest assured if such is available over the next few days, Desi would carry an equally long article to show he's inclined towards unbiasedness and balance in reporting.:))


Also from an inside page outlining the NEW POLITICS, an opening extract to know in general what Chua has in mind:


"*Demographically in 2004 the Malaysian Chinese only make up 25.4% of the population compared to 28.1% in 1991, whilst the Bumiputeras are 65.7% in 2004 compared to 60.6% in 1991. In a period of 13 years the Bumiputera population increased by about 5.0% while the Malaysian Chinese population decreased by 2.7%. If this trend continues and bearing in mind that the Bumiputera annual population growth rate is much higher than the Chinese it would not be surprising that by 2020 the Bumiputera community will increase to well over 70% or more and the Chinese will decline to about 20%. A significant percentage in our population’s decline is due to the large number of our families emigrating overseas. We have to stop the outward migration of the Chinese community started in the `70s. The vast majority of these families emigrate because they feel that their economic and children’s educational opportunities lie overseas. The Economic and Education blueprints must address these issues. Furthermore as the representative Party we must assure them that we do indeed hear their voices and they are truly equal and valued citizens of this country.
We as a Party must also ask ourselves - does the Chinese Community support us because they honour and respect us as their Party and their leaders, or do they vote for us because we come under the banner of the BN? As long as the BN Government promote policies that are seen to be fair and liberal they will support the BN. Can we develop the Party to that level where they will support us throughout the country on our own rights and merit? If we can do this then our members can live within the community with their heads held high. We can then expect more widespread support for our candidates in every General Election. We will win not only because of the BN but also because of our own merit! Then the Party will be able to contribute in a more meaningful and positive way to the continued victory of the BN.*"


On a less important level, what Desi wants to note here is that one Ling Hee Leong offered to contest the Deputy chief position of the MCA Youth, which means he’s ambitious to rise to that level his father, former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik, achieved before he stepped down, together with his then deputy Lim Ah Lek, in a PEACE FORMULA brokered by then Prime Minister to overcome a few years of TeamA-Team B infighting.

Here I wish to recall that Ling Junior in 1997/98 hogged the news spotlight. Indeed praised by THE STAR, as a role model-entepreuner the, when at age 27 years, he managed to borrow some RM1.2billion to take over control of at least FOUR LISTED COMPANIES. The youngest billionaire-on-paper whose financial resources seemd unlimted until the financial crisis hit the Southeast Asian region laid bare all theses follies of the banks, where mortals like you and I at age 30 would be hard pressed to borrow RM100,000 to buy our first roof over our head never did ask any due diligence questions to lend to the youngest billionaire then. No wonder these banks had to be bailed out and we tax-payers saw the very miscreants involved – bankers and BIG borrowers - not brought to any court to account for their actions which led to a national crisis.

Or have Malaysians forgotten and forgiven?

If the answer is yes, then Desi may just retire and give up any more political commentary.

I shake my head that Malaysian (Chinese) youths have such lean options from among their peers for a ROLE MODEL for leadership in the second largest component within the 14-component Barisan Nasional.

Datuk Chua, I sincerelyhope you succeeed in your challenge. But you have to do more than saying a few prayers because the culture cultivated for some 50 years is a Herculean task to undo, what more move on to the next stage of REFORMATION.

All I hear constantly from many of those who take to your party is chasing after those quotas of annual prefixes fronting their names and suffices at the backside – Datuk, Tan Si, TUN?, and PPN, PKT, AMN and JKR?

From te picture used by theSun, I see that Chua held in one hand some pages of a statement attributed to Ong Ka Ting (?) -- if that's all the incumbent with all the facilities of MCA headquarters and many ministerial aides at his disposal, can come up with, I am afraid I would have to rate Chua's approach as HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL versus his opponent's AMATEURISH stance. Maybe incumbency creates a sense of complacency -- real or false -- but it just shows if ONLY CHUA HAD SPOKEN UP MORE LOUDLY WHEN HE OCCUPIED A MINISTER's POST, MIGHT THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT?

A sad note to all these, as I checked later, THE STAR did not give a single line to Chua Jui Meng's manifesto introduction. Readers of Chinese newspapers, feedback me on other press coverage -- Desi is hard-pressed for time too, like Imran, you know. So it does lend weight to my aside yesterday about that well-meaning Editor doing some spin-doctoring for HIS MASTER's VOICE... I wonder if these two contenders have anything meaningful to say about PRESS FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE? I must consult my contacts in the Chinese media. Definitely, I'll follow up on this topic in the next two days.

Before I say adieu, and wish Chua “All the Best!” because somehow I always have some empathy for any under-dogs, even some topdogs, I leave you, my Dear Readers for bearing with my political rambling today, as I see dark and gloomy clouds outside my window in Seremban, from my fav poet -- and should you be an IgnorantCoww not knowing who that is by now, I’m Pulling back my The Teh Tarik!:


Reforming oneself

It has been raining again. I have been
indoors, meditating on the short-
comings of life.
I wish there were more kindly persons
in the world. Our competitive life
develops selfishness and unkindness.
I am determined to do something about it.
I cannot hope to convert many
persons. To convert one person, I
shall do well.
I will begin with the person I know best –
myself.
When it rains and one is much indoors,
one is likely to meditate on the
shortcomings of life.
Let me think – how shall I make myself
kind, gentle and considerate?
I do believe it has stopped raining.
I can go out now. I’ll go and shoot on
the archery ranch.
I’ll not bother to reform myself today.
Perhaps tomorrow – if it is raining,
and I must stay indoors, and meditate
on the shortcomings of life.