Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has urged MCA to explain its failure to obtain government recognition for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), despite its return to the cabinet.

“Now that MCA is back in the cabinet, (MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong) can no longer give the excuse that he or MCA is not with the government for the continued non-recognition of UEC...

“Is MCA really ‘in office and in power’ or just ‘in office but not in power’?” she said today, a  sneaky jibe at MCA president Liow Tiong Lai’s speech earlier this month that the party is “in office and in power”.

Kok ( left ) was responding to a China Press report today quoting Wee as saying that the party has not stopped pressing the government to recognise the UEC, which is administered by the United Chinese School Committees' Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) at Chinese independent secondary schools.

He reportedly said the government’s decision to recognise UEC results for teacher’s training collages and the decision to allow Chong Hwa Secondary School in Kuantan to take the UEC exam are both results of its efforts.

However, Kok said this alone is not sufficient and must explain more, stressing that this has been a longstanding issue.

“It is insufficient for Wee to merely say that MCA has not stopped trying to get the certificate recognised, but he must explain what concrete efforts have been done by MCA, especially after MCA’s return to the cabinet in June this year,” she said.

Previously, MCA had decided not to take any government positions following its dismal performance at the 13th general election, but then reversed its decision late last year.

Both Liow and Wee joined the cabinet in June this year as Transport Minister and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department respectively, while three other MCA leaders joined the cabinet as deputy ministers at the same time.