INTERVIEW | MCA will not change if the upcoming party election is won by presidential candidate Wee Ka Siong and his faction, said former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He warned that MCA will be doomed if its leadership continues to be in a denial state.

In an interview with Malaysiakini and KiniTV, Chua said that MCA would be "more of the same" as Wee has chosen "former secretaries" to former MCA ministers and former deputy ministers, as his teammates in the Nov 4 party polls.

"They are either (former) secretary to (outgoing president) Liow Tiong Lai, Wee Ka Siong or (outgoing MCA Youth chief) Chong Sin Woon. This is a bad signal. The secretaries should not stand as central committee (candidates)," he said without naming the former secretaries.

"Of course, they have a right to stand. But if you contest and your former bosses are there, then all of you will become 'yes men'," he said.

This is like making the party election a family affair, he added.

"Can you imagine, if I am the major shareholder and all my directors are my children... to me, it does not inspire confidence," he said.

A total of 54 candidates are contesting for 25 central delegate posts, of which at least five candidates were former secretaries.

They are Leow Kok Chan (ex-private secretary to Chong), Low Ah Keong (ex-political secretary to Wee), Teh Yeow Meng (ex-senior private secretary to Wee), Kang Meng Fuat (ex-political secretary to Liow) and Daniel Wa (special aide to ex-deputy finance minister Lee Chee Leong).

Right footing

On Sept 27, Chua had opined that former ministers and former deputy ministers should not contest in the upcoming party election as they were part of the previous administration which was rejected by the people in the May 9 general election.

He had also pointed out that both Liow and Wee had avoided major national issues, such as rising cost of living, inflation, Umno's arrogance, corruption, 1MDB and Felda scandals during the 14th general election.

"If (Wee) Ka Siong and his group of people are re-elected, it will be what we called more of the same," he said in yesterday's interview.

"MCA leaders are always in the state of denial; if MCA continues to be in denial, the party will be doomed," he said.

"They (Liow and Wee) dare not made any decision and that's very obvious; so people are tired, angry and frustrated; they just want a change of leadership," he said.

The vocal former health minister also condemned Liow and Wee (above) for excluding other party factions.

"They practise the policy of winners take all and losers lose all; they don't practise the policy to be inclusive... it is because (MCA) is unable to embrace various groups (factions) and people of different opinions that it is becoing smaller and smaller," he said.

Liow endorsed his incumbant deputy, Wee, and his running mate Perak state chief Dr Mah Hang Soon, while Chua is campaigning for Kluang division chief Gan Peng Sieu and his running mate Tee Siew Keong.

The MCA election will see a three-cornered fight for the president's post. Besides Wee and Gan, little known Beruas MCA Youth chief Ngoo Teck Keong threw his hat into the ring.

Chua said he chose Gan despite the latter had called for his resignation previously for the sake of the party.

"I just want to make sure the party is on the right footing after the party election," he said.

Despite acknowledging Wee stands a better, Chua said Gan is not an underdog in the party polls as he was well received by grassroots from Johor, Selangor and Perak -- a sign he observed on the campaign trail.

To a question, Chua said Wee's health condition has become a concern to MCA, which will have to rebrand itself after its huge defeat in May 9 polls.

"From now on to the next general election, the party leadership has a lot of work to do; so it is important that a leader should be fully sensitive. (He must) not only be articulate, but also should be healthy and can rise to occasion of a tedious job.

"If he is down with some serious illness, it only serve to slow down his momentum, his enthusiasm and his energy," he said.

He added that the MCA leaders were too obsessed with Chinese communal issues until they thought the party would be okay by focusing only on Chinese education and the recognition of Unified Education Certificate (UEC) issues.

"DAP is now in power. But have you seen any (DAP) leader talking about recognition of UEC, something the it promised (to do) but has not even talked about it? Do the Chinese show hatred to DAP?" he said.

MCA also kept on harping on Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355, which the Chinese community did not understand its implications, he said.

"MCA has such a fixation (on communal issues)," Chua noted, adding that the party should focus on national issues like corrution, living cost and human rights.