Definition of "Triumvirate" : A group of three people together governing a country (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)If you read the first 2 paragraphs in the article below it seems that MCA Vice-President Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn thinks that Barisan Nasional consist of only UMNO, MIC and MCA or only these three parties are relevant or important. He seems to forget that there are 11 more parties in Barisan Nasional which must be treated as equal partners.
If not for the excellent election results of the BN coalition partners in Sabah & Sarawak, BN would have lost the Federal Government.
I would suggest Sdra. Koh gives Datuk Seri Dr Fong a history lesson on the formation of Barisan National or ask Gerakan's SATU Academy to do it. This is not meant to be an insult. I wonder whether UMNO, MCA, MIC and other coalition partners teaches their members the true history and meaning of Barisan Nasional. This is necessary to instill the BN spirit. I would not be surprised if other than Gerakan only one or two parties do this. I just had my refresher lesson just last Sunday by Sdra. Koh.
In 1990, the MCA was completely wipe out in Penang. Soon after that devastating loss, in a meeting with Sdra. Koh, he advise us not to take advantage of the weaken MCA and if possible help their rebuilding. Unfortunately, when MCA regained their strength, it took strategic actions to weaken Gerakan. For MCA, it is a very natural progression to seize political POWER in Penang. I think it is safe to said most active Gerakan members remember those actions but still we choose to be forgiving.
Recently, I offered the local MCA members a place in our Gerakan activity cum service center as I was concerned that their center had closed down and they seem to be very dormant at grassroots level. Coincidentally, another member also make the same offer. Now, we are having second thoughts....
NST Online, 2008/05/06
Fong: MCA wants equal standing with Umno, MIC Fong
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA wants to be equal partners with Umno and MIC rather than being " second" in the triumvirate.
Vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said yesterday the party wanted parity with the two other founding members of the Alliance, which later evolved into Barisan Nasional.
He said the three parties had negotiated as equals for independence.
"There was so much parity (then), but over the years, MCA has become the distinct second to Umno and we have to correct this perception," he told the New Straits Times.
He said the party wanted its friends in Umno to know that working as equals would strengthen BN.
Fong said MCA should also have a new direction so that it can stabilise itself and BN.
"What we need is to rejuvenate and re-energise the grassroots. They have been demoralised by the poor showing of BN and MCA (in the March 8 election)."
For the next six months, he said, he would lift the morale of grassroots MCA members by giving the party a new direction.
He said the party would remain a Chinese-based entity but would articulate issues on behalf of all Malaysians.
Fong said: "It can be crime, security, economic development, job opportunities and education."
Citing the example of scholarships, he said scholarships should be given to all irrespective of race.
He said vernacular schools should be seen as part of the educational system so that MCA could speak on behalf of children of all races.
The 14 Coalition Partners of Barisan Nasional (by Alphabetical Order)
- Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)
- Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA)
- Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC)
- Malaysian People's Movement Party (Gerakan)
- People's Progressive Party (PPP)
- Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)
- Sarawak People's Party (PRS)
- Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP)
- Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP)
- United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)
- United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO)
- United Sabah Party (PBS)
- United Sabah People's Party (PBRS)
- United Traditional Bumiputera Party (PBB)
3 comments:
Maybe members of Gerakan and other smaller component parties of BN feel syiok sendiri (or maybe set to gain titles and other rewards) being part of the 'undefeatable' BN party, but the true colours of the main BN players is out of the bag. Seriously that is how many outsiders see Gerakan as well. Except to rule Penang, Gerakan is nothing to the BN triumvirate. Gerakan is just being used by the BN triumvirate to show that they have multiracialism in BN when in actual fact it is so steep in racism.
There is no likelihood of the BN triumvirate to be multiracial (OTK's suggestion being shot down by OKT) so Gerakan will never achieve its "Just and equal society" ideology,so what's the point of Gerakan in BN? Gerakan has been in BN for so long now but has it achieved it's ideologies? Looking at Gerakan's ideologies, seems to me like it's more similar to PKR or DAP's than BN's. I agree that PR is new and still loosely defined but that can be improved as it matures.
Truly I have nothing against Gerakan but only against its effectiveness in BN. In fact I think Gerakan is a good platform for young politicians to gain experience in politics since they have actual leaders who have run the state before to learn from. Unlike the DAP who only have "yet to be proven effective" leaders whose experience is only to talk and criticize. Criticizing is easier because you can focus on smaller aspects of issues because you are not running the whole thing. But people learn when given the opportunity and good people learn fast and may potentially surpass the achievements of his predecessors in no time.
PS... your title should be UMNO, MCA & MIC
Thank you, have corrected the title.
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