KUALA LUMPUR – MCA finds itself in a tight spot once again due to the current political conundrum which is threatening to boil over, amid an impasse between the government and Istana Negara.
The deadlock is due to an announcement by Law Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan on July 26 revoking emergency ordinances before securing royal assent.
Former MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said by aligning the party to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, the party’s good name has been besmirched.
MCA’s image is now only recovering from the losses it suffered in the last general election.
However, being a component of Barisan Nasional (BN), Gan said the party will only act based on the decision made by the coalition, including whether to withdraw support from the government or otherwise.
Speaking to The Vibes, the senior politician said while it is not MCA’s own doing, the support for the party is fast diminishing, out of public frustration and anger towards the government’s failures.
MCA representatives are doing well, but has taken the brunt for being part of a very unpopular government.”
“In my view, I think our representatives in the cabinet are doing well. They are focused on the job and are getting things done. This is the priority,” he said.
“But MCA, being part of the government, has taken the brunt as well. The rakyat doesn’t care about the finer details. They just want their problems solved. PN has become so unpopular, and MCA is part of PN.”
The situation faced by MCA today, and MIC for that matter, is not too dissimilar to the pre-2018 general election, when public anger towards Umno’s leadership and corruption derailed the party’s performance in the polls.
Eventually, MCA won only one seat in the election via its current president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, who is now Transport Minister, while Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng won the Tg Piai seat later through a by-election.
Gan’s comments follow the latest political developments in the country after a revocation of the emergency ordinances was met with a royal rebuke, with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong reprimanding the government for acting without royal assent.
The Prime Minister’s Office responded by saying that the government need not table and debate the ordinances, as requested by the king, maintaining that His Majesty shall act on the advice of the cabinet.
Amid the brouhaha, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ordered for the suspension of yesterday’s Dewan Rakyat sitting, prompting a protest from opposition lawmakers, who were blocked from entering Parliament grounds.
Gan said PN’s fundamental mistake was not acceding to the royal decree, questioning the motive not to table the ordinances in the House for annulment, particularly as the opposition has consistently stated its objection to the emergency and its legislations.
Where does MCA go from here?
For Gan, who is former deputy youth and sports minister, his party should now implement two vital measures which he believed would help clear its name ahead of the next election, due by mid 2023.
The first, he said, is for the MCA leadership to persuade Muhyiddin, Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun to seek an audience with the king to thrash out any lingering issues between them.
“I’m sure when His Majesty asked the matter (emergency ordinances) to be debated in Parliament, it was with a good intention that he doesn’t want the government he appoints toying with the rule of law.
“And if it is with such good intention, then we should all sit down and talk, so the public won’t be worried and agitated,” he said.
Gan said the other step would be for MCA to call for a BN meeting to get a clear decision on the coalition’s direction moving forward, including the possibility of withdrawing support for Muhyiddin.
This, however, can only be done if Umno – which is facing its own internal friction with opposing factions within the party – can get its act together, he said.
“Back in February last year, before the government was formed, BN was given a choice whether to choose Muhyiddin, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister. BN picked Muhyiddin.
“Now, if BN wants to withdraw, call for a proper meeting and make a proper decision. Let the government collapse, and allow the Agong to decide on a new prime minister,” he said.
However, Gan said changing the prime minister at this juncture would not resolve much of the problem, as appointing a new cabinet in the midst of a pandemic could be destabilising, besides the issue of deciding on who has the majority.
Should the situation come to it, Gan said Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah would be the most ideal candidate to hold the government’s fort temporarily until Parliament is dissolved for election.
Being a senior politician and unlikely to vie for permanency for the top post after the next poll, he said the Umno veteran would be the best man for the job of transitional prime minister. – The Vibes, August 3, 2021
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