MCA's service centres bite the dust

Foo Chi Siang Updated 5 years ago · Published on 13 Jun 2018 2:44PM · 11 Comments

MCA was widely rejected by voters in the 14th general election. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 13, 2018.

ONCE the face of the party and its first contact point for hundreds from the Chinese community, MCA’s service centres nationwide are shutting down for lack of funding following Barisan Nasional’s loss of federal power.

The centres helped members of the community solve their problems, ranging from those who could not get identity cards to issues related to the local authority.

However, all this changed when MCA was decimated in the May 9 general election.

MCA initially thought the party would receive the support of between 23% and 25% of Chinese voters, but it ended up getting only 2% of the Chinese vote in GE14, turning it from a party that once represented Chinese interests, to a party that has been utterly rejected by the community.

Currently, MCA only has the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat, and the Cheka and Titi Tinggi state seats. 

MCA’s top leadership was all but annihilated, leaving only deputy president Wee Ka Siong as MP for Ayer Hitam.

A branch leader said with the loss of power, the service centres could no longer match the party’s claim of providing service to the community as funds were no longer coming.

“The voters don’t want us anymore, there’s no point in service. Furthermore, we are now the opposition; we don’t have the funds to keep the service centres running. Our job now is to keep check on the government,” said a Bandar Tun Razak party officer.

“Now, if the people have any problems, they should go look for DAP and PKR, not MCA,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong is the only party leader elected to Parliament. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, June 13, 2018.

The Malaysian Insight visited several MCA service centres in the capital Kuala Lumpur and found them shuttered.

A party official said running the service centres was a costly affair. Assuming that each service centre has four employees, each with a monthly salary of RM3,000, this would add up to RM12,000. Factoring in rent and utility bills, this would total about RM20,000 a month.

At about RM240,000 a year, even if members want to keep serving the people until the next general election, state leaders will find raising the sum a daunting task.

The party’s service centres were active in 40 parliamentary constituencies and 90 state seats – these were seats where the representative was from MCA.

“The number of service centres varied according to the size of the division and its finances. Some had two or three in a constituency.

“But the thrust was to provide help to the Chinese community,” said a senior leader, who felt that shuttering the centres will end whatever personal touch the party had with the community.

While some centres were shuttered immediately after GE14, some division leaders have given their employees a grace period, keeping them on the payroll while telling them to look for new jobs and sparing them unemployment.

Some leaders bemoan the closure of the service centres as a huge loss to the party, but others say it heralds the start of the party’s transformation.

MCA has counted on its availability to help the community as one of its strengths, but one party veteran told The Malaysian Insight that it was now time to reevaluate its core strengths.

 “We need to determine whether we want to keep performing grassroots service or use different methods to gain the Chinese community’s support,” he said.

“If we keep serving the people but do not get any support in return, then what’s the point?”

MCA president Liow Tiong Lai has announced that he will not be contesting for any posts in the coming party elections, leaving the party leaderless and directionless.

“We lost the election, even the president lost, we didn’t think we could lose this badly,” said the party source.

“We have lost our direction and we don’t see a way ahead.”

MCA is facing its toughest challenge since its formation, and what it needs to focus on now is electing new leaders who can win the hearts of voters.

Whatever the route it takes, the only thing that is certain for MCA now is that its once-thriving service centres will no longer be a part of its future.– June 13, 2018.

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Comments

  • MCA -- Go away and be gone for good!!!! A useless running dog!!!!!

    Posted 5 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • MCA is caught in between the Chinese Community and UMNO. MCA needs umno to win any seat since most constituents has Malay majority population. MCA is weak in BN and must kow tow to UMNO. It is the same forMIC, Gerakan of PPP. Whenever any UMNO member bad mouth MCA (MIC, PPP, Gerakan) - and MCA is afraid to response - this drives the Chinese Community away from MCA. Its a catch 22 situation. Support UMNO is death. Reject UMNO is also death. Only way forward - disband - and join DAP

    Posted 5 years ago by Chris Ng · Reply

  • So...instead of doubling their efforts to gain the return of the peoples trust the top leadership has decided to abandon their service centers? When all along DAP even without Federal funding managed to keep their centers open in the years or decades it took for PH to finally be installed as the government.
    Such spineless leadership shown by MCA which further illustrates their true motives was never the people all this while but power and money is their real religion.
    Just as well I suppose and acting like spoilt brats being refused their cookies before dinner I'm sure will endear MCA even more to all Malaysians.
    What arrogance and stupidity has so consumed MCA that they still can't seem to be perturbed in the slightest in their defeat?

    Posted 5 years ago by Johan Iskandar · Reply

    • Their service centres are more for show and grandeur but it is actually self serving.

      Posted 5 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • In the predominantly Chinese town of Mentakab in Pahang, MCA even got lesser votes than PAS. That’s how bad it is.

    Posted 5 years ago by Joe Blog · Reply

  • Just close shop.Getting only 2 % of the community vote speaks volumes of your low esteem .Dispose of all party assets n donate to Chinese temples throughout every state where at least the god's will forgive the leeches

    Posted 5 years ago by Lee Thian Siong · Reply

  • How lame. MCA has billions in investments and bank accounts. What is their excuse for not using those funds to fund these service centres? Also, now more than ever they should prove that they are relevant to all Malaysians by being commited to serve in spite of being in opposition. MCA has to ask themselves, how did DAP and PKR previously did it without being in power? How did they raise funds despite challenges faced by them for years?

    Posted 5 years ago by Keng Yew · Reply

  • Your downfall is your choice of friends. Racism will always doom to failure. Keep far far away from especially UMNO.

    Posted 5 years ago by Xuz ZG · Reply

  • As far as umno is concerned mca & gerakan are nothing but parasites. These 2 parties have been beholden to their master for a long time and their 'role' was just that of a ball carrier and boot licker with zero dignity and zero self respect and they are an embarrassment to community they claim to represent and serve. The earlier they disappear the better.

    Posted 5 years ago by Conscience Moral · Reply

  • Lack of funding my foot. MCA along with UMNO and MIC are easily the richest political parties in Malaysia with assets that run into the billions. I don't think that is lack of funding.

    Posted 5 years ago by Andrew Ho · Reply

  • MCA started losing its way from very early on and never learned - even forming of Gerakan was a mistake. But it really already died when Tan Koon Swan took over, became too corrupt and lost the fight with UMNO.

    Posted 5 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply