KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Being part of the Unity Government but not holding any federal positions would not prevent MCA from being a constructive political party to safeguard the country’s political stability, says its president.

MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said MCA is committed to playing a role in monitoring the country’s governance to ensure national development and achievements are on the right track and the people’s rights will continue to be protected.

“With the experience we have after being in the government for the past few decades, we are certainly familiar enough with the organisational structure of government agencies and their operating procedures.

“In the party as well, we have professionals, experts and scholars in various fields who are able to express thoughtful ideas and offer constructive suggestions,” he said in his presidential policy speech when officiating at the 70th MCA Annual General Assembly (AGM) today.

Wee in his speech also outlined four directions in an effort to consolidate the party’s internal resilience and face the 16th General Election (GE16), which are to strengthen the party, strengthen cooperation between all the component parties of Barisan Nasional (BN), maintain MCA as a political party and be open to any form of collaboration with any party that is in line with MCA’s ideology.

“Our most urgent task at this point is to empower the party, ‘Strengthen Ourselves, Be Strong’ and in a challenging political landscape, we must reform the party first.

“We must improve the talent in the party and identify loyal party members, improve the organisational structure and strengthen our ability to mobilise members. We must prove to the component parties that we are an influential party in the coalition that can add value to our partners,” he said.

“...MCA together with BN must practise more open politics by willing to cooperate with various parties so long as it is not in conflict with the constitution and BN’s struggle. This is important for further reform and recovery to strengthen BN.

“The next four years are quite important. Therefore, we must put the interests of BN as a priority and work with all the component parties to prepare for the GE16,” he said.

Wee, meanwhile, said that if any BN component parties intend to form a new partnership and abandon its affiliates, MCA will not hesitate to become independent.

“What is most important is that MCA must adhere to its founding principles and maintain its status as a political party, rather than a welfare organisation, supporting the beliefs of its founder Tun Tan Cheng Lock, who changed MCA from a welfare organisation to a political party in 1951,” he said.

Meanwhile, at a press conference later, Wee said the absence of leaders from BN component parties at the AGM this time was because based on the decision of the MCA central committee in 2018, it decided not to invite non-party members if the AGM falls in the year of the party’s election which is held every five years.

MCA held elections recently (this year) for the central level on September 24 while the elections for the Youth and Women wings took place earlier on September 23. — Bernama