KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 ― Hoping to widen its appeal, MCA’s Youth wing is pushing to change the rules in the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party’s constitution to allow for non-Chinese affiliate members.
MCA Youth chairman Datuk Chong Sin Woon suggested affiliate membership was the first step to pave the way for his party mates to accept Malaysians of other ethnicities to full membership, The Star Online reported today.
“The best thing to do is to have a transition period with affiliate members and organisations, so let’s start with that.
“We will bring it up at the AGM to amend the party constitution. We are drafting the proposal to have affiliate organisations for the approval of the party’s central committee,” he was quoted saying.
In a video accompanying the same report, Chong noted that there is currently no provision in the MCA constitution for affiliate memberships, but indicated that as a starting point for the party to turn multiracial.
“We were born as a single-race party, but we are trying to move into a multiracial, but to open up the direct membership is still a long way to go to convince MCA delegates,” he said.
According to the report, Chong said MCA would be the first party among the country's founding political parties to become a multiracial party, if the youth wing's motion at MCA annual general assembly in November if approved.
Umno and MIC, which are the other two founding parties of the Alliance Front ― the predecessor to the BN coalition ― are Malay and Indian based while most of the remaining 10 components tout themselves as multiracial, such as Gerakan though their membership is predominantly of one race.
BN and its leaders had in the past mulled the idea of introducing direct membership to the coalition for Malaysians who do not wish to join race-based component parties, but there appeared to be no follow-through.
New opposition party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), helmed by former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and with former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as chairman, allows those who are Bumiputera to be members.
Non-Bumiputera for PPBM are allowed to join as associate members - a second-tier membership where they cannot vote and contest for party positions, but can be appointed to party posts.
