Pakatan Harapan is not saving Barisan Nasional but dismantling it from within, and blind cooperation will only render BN parties politically irrelevant, says Johor MCA Youth chief Heng Zhi Li.
Heng said recent comments by Johor Umno Youth chief Noor Azleen Ambros – who criticised MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon for urging the Chinese-based party to chart its own path – put BN into a “lower and subordinate position”.
Chong was quoted by Sin Chew Daily as saying that MCA grassroots were frustrated by BN’s ongoing indecision after waiting more than two years for clear direction since the last general election.
“While Noor Azleen acknowledges the challenges faced by MCA, he must equally recognise that the current cooperation with PH is not only shrinking MCA’s political influence – it is also accelerating the erosion of Umno‘s political standing.
“If this trend continues, it will leave BN component parties increasingly irrelevant within a PH-dominated government,” Heng said in a statement today.
He likened PH’s strategy to the “boiling frog” analogy, saying the danger might only be noticed once it became too late.
Heng also pointed to an ideological gap between BN and PH, citing PH’s failure to fulfil its manifesto promises, its alleged vilification of BN leaders, and economic decisions such as scrapping the goods and services tax (GST) in favour of the sales and service tax (SST).
“These actions show that PH is not, and has never been, a natural partner for BN. Cooperating blindly with PH will inevitably compromise BN’s survival as well,” he said.
Heng said MCA remains committed to rebuilding BN as a pragmatic, multiracial coalition focussed on racial harmony and long-term economic planning.
“We must not lose our soul, our dignity, or our founding mission merely for the sake of temporary political survival,” he said.
“We, therefore, call for an honest and urgent reassessment of BN’s direction by the top leadership, for the sake of the rakyat, and for Malaysia’s future.”
