How can the MCA unite the Chinese?

This pertinent question together with the possibility of 'absolute unity' in the Chinese community were addressed by MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik today at a dialogue session held togther with Umno and Gerakan.

Ling mooted the theory that "there cannot be absolute unity in the Chinese community".

"The best indicators are during election times. During every election, we manage to get between 65 to 70 percent Chinese support for the Barisan Nasional," he said, at the National Unity Convention organised by Asian Strategic and Leadership Institute in Sunway Resort Hotel in Petaling Jaya.

However, Ling said this was opposed to the situation during the Lunas by-election in November last year when only 35 percent of the Chinese were behind the BN.

"We have to analyse why we did not have a 'feel good' situation as we did in the 1995 elections. We have to find out why we lost in Lunas," he said.

Ling, who is also Transport Minister, said national unity cannot be defined by outlook, value systems and "feel-good feelings" alone.

"If there is wide economic disparity, there will be feelings of jealousy. That was why we started the New Economic Policy," he said, justifying the need for affirmative action based on race.

He said bridging the economic gap was not enough to foster national unity as "the third leg to the NEP was national security".

"If there were terrorism, bombings and riots, there can be no national unity. The reason why we can bridge the economic disparity gap is because we have stability and security," he said.

Political consensus

Ling was responding to questions from the 400-odd participants at the dialogue session. Many of the questions posed touched on the need for affirmative action, review of its implementation and the need to bridge the gap between races in various fields.

Gerakan president Lim Keng Yaik questioned why discussions on the model for national unity had to be done behind closed doors like a "secret society".

"Such meetings should be done openly for everyone to see. The BN should not only be just an election committee. We'll have to work towards a political consensus, not just cabinet consensus," he said.

Lim, who is Primary Industries Minister, said non-Malays will continue to raise questions regarding affirmative action due to its racial overtones.

"Is a person born genetically disadvantaged or are they disadvantaged due to the environment? If something's wrong with the environment then we need to change the environment," said Lim.

He backed affirmative action, saying that if it did not exist the country would experience racial riots like some countries in the region.

"The implementation of the policy may have been abused along the way. We need to review them as they affect national unity and this is what they say will lead to huru-hara (chaos)," he said.

Accept differences

Umno's vice-president Najib Tun Abdul Razak said BN was a "winning formula and the right solution for Malaysians".

However, Najib, who is the country's Defence Minister, also questioned why brilliant SPM and STPM students could not be admitted to public universities.

"There is something wrong if top STPM students with five As and four As cannot obtain university places. We have to review, take steps to correct and set things right," he said.

In his closing speech, Malaysian Human Rights Commission chairperson Musa Hitam said that Umno must know the difference between demanding and working towards national unity and national conformity.

"We must not demand people to conform politically or culturally. Differences must be accepted in all aspects, including the political aspect," he said.