KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — The Chinese-based opposition party MCA celebrated its 70th anniversary yesterday as it rebranded itself as MCA 2.0, but questions arise on whether the communal politics it was founded on is still applicable in Malaysia.

In examining the MCA’s dimmer political fortunes now compared to its previous status as a member of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, Hong Kong paper South China Morning Post (SCMP) traced the roots of the party’s initial strength where it engaged in welfare work during the colonial era when the British resettled Chinese Malaysians into "New Villages”.

Historian Lee Kam Hing from New Era University College reportedly noted MCA’s role in presenting a united front with its alliance with Umno in the country’s independence talks with the British, as well as its work in serving the ethnic Chinese community.

"Its work in the new villages — where there was an MCA branch in every one of those places — as well as its early role helping thousands to gain citizenship were its sources of political strength,” he was quoted saying by SCMP.

Political observer Oh Ei Sun also reportedly said MCA’s current status now was due to its alleged increasing giving in to "Umno’s racially supremacist stances and policies over the years and was ineffectual in protecting Chinese rights”, adding that MCA members were perceived to be "preoccupied with advancing their own interests, often in collusion with the insidiously corrupt Umno regime”.

But down from its previous three ministers in the Cabinet, MCA which was on a decline in political popularity now has only one representative among the 222 MPs, six of the 70 senators and only two among the 500-odd state assemblymen.

SCMP said MCA secretary-general Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun claimed that the 14th general elections’ results "showed that the voters’ rejection of us was not race-based but over common dissatisfaction felt by all”, acknowledging that MCA and the BN coalition it belongs to failed to fully understand Malaysians’ grievances after possibly falling into a comfort zone with its uninterrupted rule for 62 years.

Chew also believed it was not impossible for MCA to recover, saying that MCA’s 70th year is also its turning point and that the party is now working on grooming the youth to be the next torch-bearers while also acknowledging the party veterans’ contributions.

With "Provide Checks and Balances, Prioritise Public Opinion” as MCA’s party anniversary theme, Chew said the political party will serve as a "constructive and effective opposition” instead of simply opposing for the sake of doing so.

As for the communal nature of MCA, party vice-president Datuk Ti Lian Ker said the party walks the talk on the issue of tolerance and has a role to play in keeping right-wing religious extremism in check.

"The pressure should not be on MCA to become a multiracial party when there are other mono-ethnic parties that need to be held in check so that all our interests are brought to the table,” he was quoted saying, also criticising rival DAP previously for criticising MCA for allegedly not protecting the Chinese community but now stressing on a multiracial approach after coming into power.

MCA Youth central committee member Alex Fong spoke of the party’s realistic approach on the topic of racial equality, noting that the hopes for full racial equality in Malaysia by those who voted in Pakatan Harapan has allegedly proven "unachievable”.

"So MCA will stick to our core value, which is that we protect and fight for the interests of the Chinese community based on our national Constitution which also protects the freedom of non-Malays in education, religion, language, economy.

"The MCA needs to educate the Chinese community about fairness and we will not lie that we can achieve total equality just to win votes. We can only tell the voters that we can do the best for them based on reality instead of selling fake dreams,” he was quoted saying by SCMP.

DAP leader Steven Sim, who is also the deputy youth and sports minister, was reported saying that MCA still has yet to learn its lesson from GE14, saying: "Malaysians, especially Chinese Malaysians, want to move on from the communalist politics of Umno and Barisan Nasional.”

On MCA’s chances at rebranding itself, with Tasmania University’s Asia Institute’s head James Chin believed that it would take some time before MCA could regain Chinese support.

"MCA’s image is like Umno’s — expired, old. Unless the entire leadership resigns and is replaced by new people. The Chinese voters still cannot forgive MCA for selling them out politically over the years. It will take at least two or three general elections for the Chinese to forgive MCA,” he was quoted saying by SCMP.

Oh, who is a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, also pointed to a longer timeline: "Blessed with abundant party assets, MCA could conceivably become resurgent after a few decades in opposition to repent and when a new generation of leaders emerge.”