KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has unveiled the party's manifesto for the general election, just some 12 hours after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak revealed Barisan Nasional's manifesto on Saturday (April 7) night.
Party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai outlined MCA's 10 promises and 10 initiatives for the next five years, which will complement Barisan's manifesto.
He said MCA will become the key driver of various initiatives targeting the masses with its main pillar being youth empowerment.
Liow also stressed on the party's commitment towards transforming MCA-established education institutions into a global education hub, the second pillar of MCA's 14th General Election manifesto.
"As MCA's roots still rest with the lower income groups, we must also continue to look after the well being of the people requiring assistance. This is the third pillar, social economic well-being.
"In order for this agenda to succeed, a multi-racial approach must be adopted to tackle various issues that confront the community.
"The party will continue to reach out to understand their needs through active stakeholder engagements," Liow said during the unveiling ceremony at Wisma MCA here on Sunday morning.
This is the first time MCA is having its own manifesto for the general election.
MCA's 10 promises are:
1. Safeguard moderation - Uphold the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara
2. Ensure checks and balances - Represent the constitutional rights of Malaysian Chinese and other communities
3. Youth and women empowerment - New businesses, jobs and training opportunities - Appoint
youth and women into key positions - Reskilling youths for digital revolution
4. Enhance the quality of Chinese education - Committed towards recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) - Systematic approach in construction of new SJK(C)s and allocations
5. Setting forth education in the world stage - Modernise and globalise education through UTAR, TARUC and Vtar
6. Harnessing the Belt and Road Initiative - Connectivity with China and Asean - Open up trade opportunities in China
7. Digital economy and innovation - Help SMEs ride on wave of e-commerce
8. Quantum leap in business and finance - Establish the Kojadi Co-operative Bank - Enhance the functions of the Secretariat For the Advancement Of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME)
9. Neo-urbanised townships - Transforming new villages
10. Accessible healthcare - Establish UTAR Hospital with Western and complementary medicine
MCA's 10 initiatives are:
1. Establish a Central Monitoring Unit
- monitor fair and effective implementation of government policies
2. Global and regional connectivity
- MCA Belt and Road Centre to strengthen ties with China
- make Malaysia a gateway to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Asean
3. Establish a Digital Economy and Innovation Council
- gather feedback for formulation of policies and legislation
4. World class tertiary education
- UTAR to set up teaching hospital in Kampar
5. Developing the next generation
- transform TARUC into full-fledged technical university
6. Technical and vocational education training
- expand Vtar Institute into a well-equipped TVET development and training institution
7. Wealth generation for SMEs and lower and middle income groups
- introduce an investment scheme for Malaysian Chinese
8. Neo-urbanised townships
- stimulate and modernise new villages
9. Protecting welfare of women, children and the elderly
- champion the progress of women in Malaysia
- help stateless Malaysians get citizenship
- ensure enforcement of legislation against paedophiles
10. Continue outreach services for the community through the:
- Public Services and Complaints Bureau
- Chang Ming Thien Foundation
- 1MCA Medical Foundation
- Legal Advisory and Women’s Aid Centre
A plan for better future
Manifesto aims to lessen burdens the community faces now
KUALA LUMPUR: The rising cost of living and the widening income gap are what the public is most concerned about these days, says Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The MCA president said the urgency of the situation prompted MCA to come out with specific actions to address it in the next five years.
These actions are listed out in MCA’s 14th General Election Manifesto with 10 promises and 10 initiatives which the party must implement, he added.
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Ready for battle: Liow, MCA deputy
president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and other senior party leaders at
the launch of the manifesto at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur. — SAM THAM/The
Star
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“This also needs the support of the Government, including allocations for execution.
“The MCA’s performance in this election will have a direct impact on the party’s efforts to help the people,” Liow said when launching the manifesto at Wisma MCA here yesterday.
On GE14, Liow said voters aged between 21 and 35 made up 45% of total voters.
“The youth play an important role in the country’s economic development and democracy,” he said when outlining the manifesto, which focuses on steps to help the people, especially youth, to progress.
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Full turnout: MCA members listening to
Liow’s presentation of the manifesto for GE14 during the launch at the
Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur.
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Saying that the MCA’s political struggle is for the long haul, Liow assured the people that the party would not make empty promises to fish for votes.
On that note, Liow said it was important to not only address current issues but also to create favourable conditions for the Chinese community’s youth to face new challenges.
“There will be major changes in the global economy, labour market and business.
“The digital revolution will not only encourage the growth of a new economy but also change the lifestyle of future generations.
“The youth of today will dominate in this major change,” he said.
Saying that education is the foundation of every nation, he pointed out that the 69-year-old MCA’s role in the sector has evolved to meet changing times, from pre-school to primary school, vocational training to tertiary education.
Liow and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (left) with the manifesto booklet.Singling out the party’s 16-year-old Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), which is ranked second in Malaysia after Universiti Malaya by Times Higher Education, he said it is in the process of setting up its teaching hospital in Kampar, Perak.
“UTAR Hospital is set to be a premier healthcare institution that combines modern and complementary medicine like traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda,” he said of the party’s promise to provide accessible and quality healthcare to the rakyat.
In confronting global competition and pressure from the rising cost of living, Liow said MCA promises to open up more economic opportunities, including setting up Kojadi Co-operative Bank with branches in various states to provide financing for young entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises.
“Times have changed. While we face more challenges, we also encounter more development opportunities,” he said of how the party consistently works hard to help the community brave the changing times.
On the country’s 465 new villages set up by the British colonial government with MCA’s help during the Emergency (1948-1960) to cut contacts between the Chinese community and communists of the era, Liow said those “barbed-wire” settlements have evolved over the decades.
He said MCA has drawn up plans for a digital revolution in these villages to rejuvenate them.
Sources: The Star, by foong pek yee, tho xin yi, and royce tan
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