MCA fully supports the moderation campaign currently promoted by various Chinese association and NGOs and applaud the noble urging for moderate approach by the 25 prominent Muslim Malay personalities.
We at MCA always believe that moderation is the only correct and effective formula to administer this nation so that its citizenry of multi-racial and multi-religious background can live long lastingly in harmony and peace.
We want all politicians, individuals and groups to henceforth stop making extremist statements and using religious and racial sentiment to divide our people.
While those extremist statements may be a crowd-puller at times and earn the speakers a little bit of mileage in the short-run, they are detrimental to our national unity in the long run and may, if unchecked, even destroy the foundation of our nation building that our forefathers had so painstakingly nurtured in no time.
While everybody is entitled to freedom of speech, this does not mean freedom to hurt others.
Therefore we must be mindful of our words so as not offend others and create unnecessary tension, distrust, hatred and even chaos.
In line with the stance taken by president Liow Tiong Lai, deputy president Wee Ka Siong and our senators earlier to support the movement of moderates, MCA will continue to fully utilise our political strength and all other possible channels to work together with any party and group that subscribes to the moderation concept to uphold this noble ideology and continue to strive towards strengthening the ties between the racial and religious divide so as to create a better Malaysia.
LEE CHEE LEONG is MCA vice-president.