Stop Inflaming Anger on an Academic Discourse



Recently I have had the honour of being invited to speak on “Maintaining National Unity” to global leaders including local Malaysian opposition leaders who participated in an event organised by the Communist Party of China (CPC). The focus of my speech was to share the Malaysian success story of maintaining our national unity and harmony. In fact, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had also sent their leader who had spoken before me at the same forum.

Regrettably, politically sponsored individuals and organisations have intentionally dragged up racial rhetoric to accuse MCA of being a 'communist supporter' for participating in a forum attended by all parties which include Pakatan Harapan in reference to my speech at a virtual thematic briefing organised by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) on Mon (Feb 22nd).

The talk was part of our diplomatic engagement of a 4-decade long effort to foster strong business and diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China, an important task started by the late Tun Haji Abdul Razak when he first initiated the thaw by visiting China in 1974.

Other Malaysian leaders also participated in the IDCPC briefing, including participants from PKR (billed as the People's Justice Party of Malaysia, see attachment) who appeared in an earlier session on the same day alongside representatives from Spain, Turkey and Republic of Korea. In the past, there have even been leaders from DAP, PKR, UMNO and other Malaysian political parties who participated in past programmes held by the Chinese government, with little to no uproar.

It is obvious that the “organised fuss” was a toxic attempt to incite hatred against the PN government and MCA by linking it with the 71st anniversary of the tragic and senseless violence at Bukit Kepong to be another political stunt by irresponsible parties.

During the briefing I discussed the effects of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year and how it has basically tested the economic landscape of the country, which was severely affected by closures, suspension of trade, and heavy job losses. The speech is out there for the whole world to see; the theme is about unity and we are selling Malaysia's brand of unity abroad as well as promoting diplomacy. This discourse was not about communist political ideology, but an attempt to sell the Malaysian success story of tolerance  and understanding towards maintaining national unity in a multiracial country.

Dato Seri Ti Lian Ker
Vice President of MCA
Deputy Minister of National Unity


-MCA online-