MCA veep calls for Taib to step down

MCA vice-president and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Gan Ping Sieu called on Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to step down earlier than the two-year time frame he had given himself.

Gan (left) said Taib should “speed up” passing the baton to a successor after ruling the state for 30 years in view of the reduced support from the Sarawak electorate this time around.

“Although Sarawak BN  emerged victorious at the recently-concluded state elections on April 16, 2011, and retained its two-thirds majority to stay in power, it is obvious that the Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud no longer has support from Chinese voters,” said Gan in a statement.

Recounting the swing within the Chinese community away from the BN towards the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition, Gan noted that various other ethnic groups in Sarawak had also withheld support for the ruling coalition.

Gan commended the move by SUPP  to decline nominating its Chinese assemblyperson for state cabinet positions given the rejection of the BN by the Chinese community.

DAP 'misled' the Chinese

Turning his ire on DAP, Gan said its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had fully demonstrated the opposition party’s “communal political strategy” when they “instigated” Sarawakians against SUPP by portraying the latter as “Taib’s thugs”.

He also described Lim (right) as having “misled” the Chinese community by portraying MCA as trying to intimidate Chinese voters with its suggestion that Chinese SUPP state representatives not join the Sarawak cabinet.

“The fact is, Lim Guan Eng is playing to the gallery to the hilt. He may have strongly condemned Utusan Malaysia ’s commentary, but he keeps playing the racial sentiment in Chinese community,” said Gan.

“MCA’s stand is plain and clear. If PM’s BN leadership and transformation plans that MCA is supporting are rejected by  the Chinese community in the coming general election, we will consider our position in the line-up of federal and state governments, as the case may be.”

'Challenge' for DAP

Also harping on DAP's campaign strategy during the Sarawak election was MCA central committee member and deputy chairperson of the party’s publicity bureau, Loh Seng Kok.

“By stirring up the emotions of the Chinese voters and creating confusion among them so that DAP can garner more votes for themselves, it is obvious that DAP and its compatriots cannot provide substantial contributions to the local Chinese community there,” said Loh in a statement.

Issuing DAP a challenge, Loh said if the Opposition really intends to build a fair and just society, DAP should tackle the federal constitution and seek to bring about a “fair share” between indigenous and non-indigenous rights and interests”.

“Meanwhile, it should be pointed out that Pakatan Rakyat and PAS have not been just in implementing programmes to meet the demands of the Chinese community in areas of politics, economics, culture and education.

“Since Pakatan Rakyat is unable to make this commitment, the Opposition should halt inciting racial sentiments,” said Loh.

He also urged that the Sarawak cabinet to be formed be reflective of the composition of ethnic groups in the state so as to enable their representatives to address and resolve issues of concern.

“I wish to stress that on the subject of fair treatment to all ethnic groups, the BN government will do its utmost best to balance and meet the demands of the rakyat of all ethnic groups because BN representatives understand that the lack of participation from any one single community is not feasible towards nation building and achieving the target of becoming a high income nation.”

On Utusan Malaysia 's “irresponsible commentary” by columnist Awang Selamat which urged the BN to review its developmental strategy in view of the ‘abandonment’ of the ruling coalition by Sarawak’s Chinese voters, Loh assured the community that so long as MCA is part of the administration, the party will not give up its political responsibility to the Chinese community.

“Since our establishment, MCA has remained consistent in our outreach to multiracial Malaysians, whereas Pakatan Rakyat only switches in response to the demands of the situation.”

Later, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) vice-president Sylvester Entri uran said today that the remarks by Gan were ‘unbecoming’ since Taib had led the state Barisan Nasional to retain a two-thirds majority and form a government.

“MCA are using their sharpest spear to attack their own toughest shield. This is a clear-cut smear campaign by the MCA to undermine the state leadership,” he said in a statement e-mailed to Bernama in Miri today.

He said the loss of support of the Chinese voters in Sarawak in the recent state election was not sufficient reason for Taib to step down as he had proved himself by leading Barisan Nasional to win 55 of the 71 seats in the election.

“The wishes of the voters in Sarawak ought to be respected, as the chief minister has a succession plan to ensure that Sarawak maintains its political stability and economic prosperity,” he added.