INTERVIEW | Gerakan has more courage than MCA in making the call to quit BN for good, former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said. 

He said MCA should have quit BN on May 10, after the 14th general election that resulted in the monumental defeat of the BN administration.

"Gerakan is braver. I must congratulate the Gerakan leadership for taking the bull by the horns," he added.

"BN today is not a political brand name of which we feel proud (to associate with)," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini on Thursday.

"If other parties have decided to leave BN, I see no reason why MCA leaders could not make that simple decision. If I were the president, the first thing I would do is to leave BN," he added.

"I would not say stupid things like 'I would sack Umno'. This was the biggest political joke of 2018," he said, referring to MCA incumbent president Liow Tiong Lai's warning to kick Umno out of BN if the biggest opposition party moved toward theocratic politics.

On June 23, Gerakan announced its decision to leave BN after responding to grassroots’ demands. So far, nine parties have quit BN.

It was reported in June that MCA would collect feedback from the grassroots on the matter and Liow had said the party was in no hurry to decide.

MCA presidential candidate Dr Wee Ka Siong said the matter should be decided by the grassroots during the party’s annual general assembly on Nov 4.

The other contender for the presidential post, Kluang division chief Gan Ping Sieu, who opined that the party should quit BN, also suggested that a referendum on the matter be held.

Chua, however, said there is no need to call for a referendum to make such a simple decision.

He questioned if both Liow and Wee (photo) were eyeing cabinet re-entry through the backdoor by joining a unity government comprising BN and PAS, so they could be made ministers again.

Chua believes MCA can survive without BN as MCA was rejected by Chinese voters in particular because the people hated the BN brand as well as Umno’s arrogance and abuse of power.

"MCA has to bear some responsibility (for its defeat in the general election) for its association with people who are abusive and arrogant. We were also tainted," he added.

'MCA placing emphasis on the wrong issue'

In another development, Chua said the redevelopment of MCA headquarters should not be the priority of MCA at this stage.

"This shows the party leadership has no direction and is totally out of touch. Why? After the May 9 polls, the most pressing matter is politics. MCA is placing emphasis on the wrong issue.

"They are more interested in redeveloping the party assets rather than rebuilding the party," he said.

The Edge reported last month that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had approved a proposal to tear down the 23-storey MCA headquarters and erect a 70-storey tower on Aug 2.

The amended redevelopment plan will involve an "eight-storey basement carpark, a 328-room hotel that will occupy 24 floors and a two-storey sky lounge and restaurant on the 68th and 69th floors". The gross development value of the project is expected to be RM1 billion. 

MCA was said to have submitted its initial proposal last year and conditional approvals were obtained last November.

Earlier this week, three party veterans questioned the property’s ownership once the skyscraper is erected and pointed out that many were in the dark over the redevelopment plan.

Liow was quoted by The Star as saying that the plan had been in the works for many years, even before he took over the helm of MCA in December 2013. He also stressed the whole process had been transparent.

Liow had claimed the discussions about the redevelopment of Wisma MCA started as early as during Chua's leadership.

In Thursday's interview, Chua, however, denied that MCA had ever discussed the redevelopment plan during his tenure from 2010 to 2013.

"(What) I brought up was the need to upgrade San Choon Hall to accommodate more central delegates. There was no detailed discussion about redeveloping MCA building.

"So, Liow, as usual, has tried to mislead the people that redevelopment (discussion) started during my time," he added.

“MCA needs the consensus of its 900,000 party members to go through with the plan as the grassroots raised money to save Wisma MCA in the 1980s,” he stressed.

"This is not something the president or deputy president can decide through the presidential council," he added.

Meanwhile, Chua said the government's plan to limit political ownership of The Star newspaper will not work as the political parties can sell their stake to their friends. He said this had been done in some western countries. 

"It will not solve the problem… It is important that the press must be credible. In this respect, The Star must be credible," he said.

Chua noted that despite being owned by MCA, The Star which used to practise "guided editorial democracy", had begun to report on the opposition and MCA members who were not aligned to Liow.

He said the answer for a free and credible press is to allow the newspaper the power to self-regulate while the public could act as its regulator.