Meet and greet: Dr Wee (right) shaking hands with Melaka Historical City Council councillor Kon Qi Yao during the Melaka MCA convention.
MELAKA: State MCA leaders have been given a key performance index (KPI) for recruiting more youths into the party.Party president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said for a start, he has set a goal of 1,000 memberships for Melaka.
“I will fix the number (of youngsters to be recruited) for other states later in our efforts to attract the young generation.
“This will provide a line of succession to steward the party in the future,” he said after opening the Melaka MCA convention in Kota Laksamana here yesterday.
Also present were MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon, vice-president and Melaka MCA chief Datuk Lim Ban Hong, Youth chief Nicole Wong and Wanita chief Wong You Fong.
Dr Wee said currently, the party has some 70,000 members under the age of 40.
He said the number should be increased steadily to complement the party’s rejuvenation process and allow it to better understand the problems faced by the youth.
“I am tasking Melaka MCA leaders to achieve the goal and get the numbers before I set the target for other states,” he added.
Dr Wee said other political parties are also finding ways to attract young Malaysians to join them after the legal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.
“It is now an open market and we have to grasp the opportunity to recruit the youngsters to be part of us. I have asked them (the state leaders) to do it (recruit more young members),” added the Ayer Hitam MP.
Dr Wee reminded that it is also important to listen to the voices of young Malaysians, including their views on issues relating to job prospects and business opportunities.
He noted that MCA needs to take a different approach to engage the voters to stay relevant and to narrow the generational gap in the party.
