Tuesday July 17, 2012

Overcoming ageing problems

By FOONG PEK YEE
pekyee@thestar.com.my
Photos by RONNIE CHIN

THE Malaysian Chinese community is proud that their clans and associations are still in existence, but efforts must be taken to ensure they continue to exist and flourish.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said many of these associations faced an ageing problem and are finding it hard to put in place a succession plan.

In fact, similar associations overseas also faced the same problem, and many had already closed down, he said.

Helping out: Dr Chua atttending to the people and their problems at the event in Bidor.

Dr Chua said the associations played an important role before, now and in future, adding that efforts should be taken to preserve them.

He urged their Youth and Wanita wings to step up their membership recruitment to rejuvenate their organisation and come up with more interesting activities.

“I also hope the associations can play an active role to help the people on the ground to understand the situation in the country better.

Warm welcome: Dr Chua welcomed by the crowd and commitee members at the dinner. Behind him is Batang Padang Bidor Han Jiang asssociation chairman Tan Joo Hong.

“There is too much politicking after the last general election.

“Infighting within political parties, and also between the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have affected the country’s image, development and racial relationship,” he said during the opening of the Teochew karaoke contest and dinner jointly organised by Bidor’s Batang Padang Han Jiang Association and Perak Han Jiang Association in Bidor on Sunday.

Dr Chua said the DAP’s modus operandi was to pit the Chinese against each other for its own political survival.

Keeping it sweet: A vetaran singer belting out a teochew number.

He cautioned that such a selfish act could undermine the Chinese influence in the country and put the community on a disadvantaged position.

To this end, Dr Chua said the associations could play its role – unveil the DAP’s tactics so that the community would not fall prey to the Opposition.

He said the DAP was good at rhetoric, harping on issues and misleading the people.

“The DAP will do anything and everything as long as they can achieve their personal agenda,” he said.

Singling out DAP’s battlecry for change or Ubah in the upcoming general election, he said the Opposition was certainly good in shouting slogans but never make it a point to explain the options to the people.

Dr Chua said the people should ask several questions in response to the Opposition call to change the government.

Are they confident that the change could bring a better tomorrow for the people and that the new government could perform better than the one led by Barisan Nasional? he asked.

Dr Chua said the people must also take into consideration who would be the prime minister, mentris besar or chief ministers should Pakatan come to power.

In the event of a Pakatan victory, the prime minister would be a PAS leader and not PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he said.

Dr Chua said PAS is the dominant party in the coalition, more organised than PKR and DAP, and it would also contest for more seats.