COMMENT | I published MCA must face the inconvenient truth here in April 2008 outlining the predicament of the Chinese party after its defeat then. In a television programme later with Dr Chua Soi Lek around that time, I put out the question, “What is MCA’s value to the Chinese Community?” and “What is MCA’s value to Umno/BN?”

GE14 showed up more of the same, this time the annihilation of MCA’s political existence in Malaysian politics is near total. The party is now left with one parliamentary seat and two state seats. For a party older than the founding of the nation, this is a tragic blow.

For a long time, some MCA leaders’ argument is that the Chinese must support MCA to give MCA the bargaining power with Umno within BN. Many said that it is this “entitlement” mentality that put the people off, and history has clearly shown that entitlement has no place a developing but increasing enlightening democracy.

The Chinese community, however, had been asking persistently, for decades, ‘Why must we support MCA? What can MCA do for us?” The MCA people had known has been reduced to a slave of Umno and even today, in spite of the arrogance of some recalcitrant, unrepentant Umno leaders who declared that “MCA has no use to Umno or BN,” there is inertia to act on the part of MCA.

Yes, Umno’s attitude and doings were the main cause of MCA’s downfall, but MCA’s own inability to see its own role in advancing good governance and making the right choices for itself are a responsibility which the party leadership cannot shirk from. In the past, whatever shortfall in BN policies brought pain to the community; MCA tried hard to make up for them; the TAR College and Utar are examples of such remedial acts.

MCA’s wide network of service centres throughout the country were there to make up for services the government failed to provide. Critics have long said, MCA, this is not what you should do, you are a political party, your job is to right the wrongs in the system. If you get the policies right, there will be no need to do what you claim to do well. After all, you are in the government and you are part of the government.

MCA seems to be caught in a time-trap; it is completely submerged in the corrupt and arrogant culture of Najib’s Umno; today no matter how MCA tries to spin it; the party is looked upon as a “conspirator” and “collaborator” in crimes against the people and some people may be rude to call some MCA leaders “eunuchs,” and “yes men” to their Umno masters.

Many can sympathise as the sole remaining MP from MCA, vice- president Wee Ka Siong said, “MCA needs to take hold of its own destiny and make its own independent decision.”

So how do you, MCA, redeem yourself? Where is your future?

Many strengths 

Looking at the political landscape today, I would argue that Malaysia doesn’t need another political party, even if you re-style yourself to be a multi-racial one. And MCA has such baggage and burdens that it is difficult to reinvent itself along this direction in a short time.

Assuming we all agree that there is no point to return to active politics in the short-term, but MCA needs to reinvent to stay relevant; then for MCA 2.0 what is your new positioning?

First, I suggest that it must begin with a radical paradigm shift. All MCA members and leaders must dismantle the habit and culture of private jobs or opportunities for those in position. The Hokkien word is “kang tao” ( 抗头) insinuating private deals promised to those who get to positions of power. MCA is a public service organisation, not a private business. Malaysian politics 2.0 is about public service, not to use positions for personal advantages or gains.

MCA also must exit from the past, no longer positioning herself as the minority member of BN. In the past, like minority shareholders in a corporation; MCA recognised that she has to toe the line and take the cue from Umno. In GE14, the majority shareholder in BN failed all in the coalition; and with that, defeated the interest of all its components. The new MCA must stop thinking and behaving like a minority shareholder anymore. MCA ought to be confident of her own worth and contribute on equal terms as a Malaysian organisation.

A Swot analysis reveals that there are many strengths in MCA, if only it can wake up to the call of public service and not use allocations for some individual or groups of individuals’ benefits. Founded in 1949, with a 1.1 million membership; MCA has over RM2 billion in party assets including the most profitable English language newspaper, The Star.

It has a big network of branches throughout the country, and there are many people in MCA with talent and experience. Many of the MCA leaders are elites in the Chinese community; these are the elite from well-to-do families. If they can leave the vested interest class, they can be in a commanding position to help move community development forward.

MCA 2.0 ought to carve out space where it can make an effective contribution to the country, regardless of race, culture and creed. There is too much competition now to become another multi-racial party; there are PKR and DAP; they both have impressed the people by their conviction and organisation.

They are the new icons of professional politicians with a clear articulation of a vision for the country; these professional politicians worked the ground. Likes of Liew Chin Tong and others are the new icons the young and old are looking up to and proud of; they brave new territories, they carry with them a conviction to risk personal comfort to advance their struggle.

Perhaps a bold recommendation for MCA is to restyle itself as the Malaysian Community Advocate ( MCA); that would be MCA 2.0. MCA with so many of its specialised centres such as the Malaysian Chinese Cultural Centre, One Belt One Road Centre etc; it can rededicate itself to real Malaysian community development.

A helping hand to help grassroots community will complement the government’s effort in rebuilding the country. MCA can focus on building up low-fees or free community colleges around the country. MCA can also promote local festival promotions at all the Chinese villages to help with the development of the local economy and further advance rural village development, like the Beautiful Villages programme in China. These initiatives must include all races.

MCA has the capabilities to do this. Both Utar and the TAR college have the organisation and academic resources to support these. Perhaps the nation-wide network will be styled as Continuing or Lifelong Learning Centres where adults and the young can take short courses and gain credits.

These credits can be accumulated and deposited into a higher education credit bank, to encourage the people to upskill themselves throughout their working lives. MCA can set up centres to teach Mandarin to the non-Chinese and have Malay classes for the Chinese so that both language proficiencies can be advanced.

Master strategy needed

At the moment, most community colleges in Malaysia award qualifications up to Level 3 in the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (Certificate 3) in both the skills sector (Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia or the Malaysian Skills Certificate) as well as the vocational and training sector but the number of community colleges that are starting to award Level 4 qualifications (Diploma) are increasing.

This is two levels below a bachelor's degree (Level 6 in the MQF) and students within the system who intend to further their studies to that level will usually seek entry into advanced diploma programmes in public universities, polytechnics or accredited private providers. Vocational training is more important to the present economy than higher education.

Then there is the online platform that can be built to support all these learning initiatives, thereby helping the people and the community to upskill themselves. The work of TAR college is widely recognised by the industry, students and parents in the 80s and MCA would do well to further its community education initiative as it has ready resources and experience at its disposal.

Research into the new economy is another area that MCA can help. For example, the much talked about durian industry needs a lot of help and support in coming up with SOPs for durian planting from the small garden farms to plantation agriculture. Markets need to be opened and farmers need to be organised, creativity needs to be developed for durian tourism and branding.

Just an ad hoc Bentong Durian Festival is half-hearted and does not go far, a master strategy is needed. These are areas that MCA, with its financial resources, can play an effective role.

Lastly, both the TAR university college and Utar, with the financial resources of MCA, can go full swing into becoming the best research universities in the region. Malaysia is caught in the low-income trap; and even for those 50 percent of the people with income higher than RM2,000, the also stagnate at middle-income. New engines of growth for the Malaysian economy need to be found and MCA can make contributions in these areas through the universities.

A crisis always presents an opportunity. With determined effort, MCA 2.0 can rally the people to a new cause and therefore create a new existence. Taking a respite from politics to heal and reposition can prepare the way for a healthy path in the future. It doesn’t have to take long - starting now, a decade from today, MCA will look at GE14 as its turning point, that the raison d'être of its 1.0 existence must be changed as it enters 2.0. A new role for the party in the community and in doing so, the party reinvents itself and put its heritage at the service of the nation.

FOONG WAI FONG is founder of the Pahlawan Volunteers, a Malaysian voluntary and advocacy group.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.