Ridhuan Tee’s quitting MCA is not surprising, given MCA’s staunch stand against PAS’ hudud enactments

MCA is not surprised with the quit-from-MCA announcement by controversial scholar Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. The party’s membership is open for application for anyone so long the applicant is a Malaysian citizen of Chinese descent.  If any party members feel that he/she is at odds with the party’s position, it is within his/her respective right to resign from the party.

Ridhuan application for party membership was approved in 18 December 2000. He joined Selangor state as a life member. He has not wielded any posts in the party. MCA respects his decision to resign.

If Ridhuan Tee is unable to agree with the party’s position to safeguard the interests of Malaysian Chinese and all Malaysians against the implementation of PAS hudud enactments, and chooses to withdraw from the party, MCA will respect his personal opinions.

MCA became a political party to ensure a multi-racial parliamentary system and a democratic system of government, in addition to ensuring that the legitimate rights and interests of the ethnic Chinese community in Malaysia as well as the legitimate rights and interests of all racial groups are recognised and protected. Since Ridhuan Tee is unable to agree with the objectives of MCA and has publicly announced to the media his decision to leave the party, MCA has begun the formality process of addressing his resignation.

MCA has never been and will never be an extremist political party. That is why when Ridhuan Tee applied to be an MCA member 16 years ago, MCA did not reject him just because he is a Muslim. So stop accusing MCA as “an enemy of Islam.”

On the topic of PAS hudud enactments, MCA has always firmly opposed them as our party holds the position that as a multiracial country, Malaysia’s diversity  must be maintained and defended. Rhetoric alone cannot resolve problems.

Ridhuan Tee has spewed extremist views. Malaysians, especially the Chinese community have read his rhetoric and less-than-flattering description of the Chinese from his news columns. As he had joined MCA, his membership shows that he did not become a Malay and his identity as a Chinese remained. As a member, he continued to have freedom of expression and the Chinese community expected him to become a bridge to Islam, but his words and deeds did not show the better of him.  

Ridhuan Tee’s comments have denigrated the Chinese community. Although he is an ethnic Chinese, and prior to today, had retained his MCA membership, his comments were often self-contradictory and failed to be a bridge of communication. In any case, Ridhuan Tee is no longer an MCA member.

Datuk Yoo Wei How
MCA National Organising Secretary

-MCA online-