4 theSun | TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3 2009

news without borders

Fresh polls will

Greater Unity Plan was make MCA
weaker: Dr M
PUTRAJAYA: MCA holding fresh polls

explained: Tee Keat

by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri
Ong Tee Keat yesterday disclosed that three
MCA ministers, two deputy ministers and party
secretary-general, Datuk Wong Foon Meng, were
briefed on the greater unity plan before the Oct
22 announcement.
He said the main thrusts of the plan were
explained to the leaders in a luncheon meeting
although he had not named them individually.
Resounding ‘no’ “It is incorrect to say that certain individu-
als were not aware of the plan,” he told a press
public statement because we were then focused
on working out the details that were not just
confined to the top leadership but also included
the grassroots.
“It is not a unity plan that only involves a few
top leaders but it would only be meaningful if
the plan were to include the grassroots leaders.
Certain individuals might not be happy with the
unity plan for reasons best known to them.
“Nonetheless, common sense must prevail as
anything beneficial to the common good of the
party, community and nation should always be
given a fair chance and a reasonable time slot to
implement,” he added.
will only divide the party and make it
weaker, said former prime minister Tun
Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Because the people who lose will
not be reconciled. So in the end you will
have a weaker party,” he told reporters
after witnessing a signing ceremony
between three companies – Mega
Signet Sdn Bhd, Return 2 Green Sdn
Bhd and Bio Green Bags Sdn Bhd here
yesterday.
He said the problem now in the
MCA, MIC or Umno was jostling for
leadership positions.
“They are not thinking about the
party, the party is just a horse on which
they ride. They think that by associating
themselves with a political party, they
can get something in return,” he said.
Mahathir was asked on reports in

to single stream conference yesterday.

school system
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
DONG ZONG (United Chinese School Committees
Association) says it is against a single stream school
system and will submit a memorandum to the prime
minister to express regrets over recent remarks made
by academics, MPs and the education minister on
the subject.
Speaking to reporters after chairing the annual
meeting of Dong Zong affiliates (Dong Lian Hui) in Ipoh
on Sunday, the education movement’s president Dr
Yap Sin Tian said the decision to submit a memoran-
dum to Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak was reached
In the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting
(EGM), MCA central delegates passed a motion
of no-confidence against Ong and rejected Datuk
Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek as deputy president.
However, the duo decided to call a truce by
introducing the unity plan with the blessings of
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
On Thursday, 16 MCA central committee
(CC) members who rejected the unity plan req-
uisitioned for another EGM, seeking fresh party
elections from the party’s 2,380 central delegates.
Ong said the plan was not a mathematical
model that involved any quota but a genuine
plan encompassing sincere inclusion of all party
leaders in the endeavour to serve the party.
“Do not be obsessed with quota as you will be
on the wrong track.
“As the party president, I did not make any
The CC meets today to discuss details of the
plan as well as the requisition for EGM.
When met in the parliament lobby yester-
day, MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong
reiterated he was not briefed about the plan.
Asked if the EGM requisitionists had man-
aged to collect two-thirds of the CC members’
signatures to trigger automatic party polls, Wee
said: “The CC will know in the meeting whether
we have enough members to call for elections.”
On whether the requisitionists would con-
sider withdrawing the requisition, Wee said “we
must act according to the party constitution” and
refused to commit whether his faction would
change its mind on the EGM.
Asked if he was willing to also relinquish his
Youth chief post should the CC resign en bloc,
Wee said he would do whatever is required in
the party constitution.
newspapers that Wanita MCA wanted
MCA to hold fresh polls.
He said splits were happening in
political parties as their leaders were
not interested in the country or the
interests of their respective parties.
Commenting on rumours that
former Parti Keadilan Rakyat member
Badrul Hisham Abdullah, who is Port
Klang assemblyman, planned to join
Umno, he said he did not know if Umno
would accept him because he allegedly
did not function as an assemblyman.
But in terms of numbers, he said,
if Umno wanted to achieve a higher
number (of elected representatives),
it might accept him because “they are
not going to make him a prime minister,
deputy prime minister or minister.”

Nanotag saves govt RM2.3bil

during the meeting.
He said Dong Zong would draft the memorandum
as soon as possible and seek endorsement from other
Chinese groups on the memorandum, the Chinese
press reported yesterday.
Yap said the meeting also censured historian
Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim for raising the
subject of the single stream system.
in diesel subsidies
Khoo had proposed a restructure of the national exceeded the requirements of
KAMARIDUAN MOHD NOR/THESUN

education system, including the implementation of a
single stream, to ensure attainment of the goals of the
1Malaysia concept.
He said the existing school system with various
streams did not help the people really understand the
meaning of the concept.
This prompted calls by several MPs for the govern-
ment to introduce a single stream school system as
well as dissenting voices from the Chinese commu-
nity. Yap said instead of promoting national unity, the
implementation of the single stream school system
would hamper unity and create racial tensions.
He urged the government and political parties
to state their stand on attempts by some people to
use the 1Malaysia concept to achieve their political
agendas of a “nation state” and a single stream school
system. He also urged all quarters to raise their guard
and to stand firm against any assimilation policy.
He said Malaysians must accept the fact that
Malaysia is a “multinational state” (a state which
contains two or more ethnic groups as identified by
religion, language, or colour) and not a “nation state”
(the concept of one country, one race, one culture, one
language and a single stream school system).
Meanwhile, Hua Zong (Federation of Chinese As-
sociations of Malaysia) president Tan Sri Pheng Yin
Huah lambasted proponents of the single stream
school system for creating the misconception that the
current multiple-stream school system and Malaysia’s
multicultural traits, which are the country’s strong
points, are stumbling blocks to unity.
“We must remind academics and politicians
with extremist thinking not to abuse the 1Malaysia
concept,” he said, at the anniversary celebration
of the Perak Chinese Assembly Hall in Ipoh on
Sunday.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyid-
din Yassin said he was all for single stream schools
to promote unity and 1Malaysia.
However, he said the issue should be looked at
in its totality with views from all quarters, including
those of the Chinese and Indian communities.
Such schools, he said, were the ultimate objec-
tive of the Razak Report but due to circumstances
involving the country’s history, it ended up with a
multiple-stream system.
Last Saturday, Najib said the government would
consider the views of the people before making a
decision on the proposal.
the oil companies before it was
implemented.
“Before we started the pro-
gramme, eight out of 10 commer-
cial users were using subsidised
diesel, at the expense of the gov-
ernment and the people,” he said,
explaining that subsidised diesel
is marked at 36 depots and distri-
bution terminals nationwide.
Tunku Karldej said spot-
checks are sometimes done at
the same sites because they had
found many repeat offenders
during inspection and, through
photographs in the presentation,
diesel was being stored in “crea-
tive places”.
Teras Kimia chief operating
Tunku Karldej officer Frederick Tan said junk-
explains how yards, forests, even underground
Nanotag concealed by a statue of the God-
works. dess of Mercy were among the
hiding places.
Using NanoTrackr, the com-
pany’s inspection team can detect
those having subsidised diesel.
The ministry’s enforcement will
then take action and another sam-
ple from the same source will be
sent to the chemistry department.
by Llew-Ann Phang tests were done for (then) Domes- “There have been no incidents
newsdesk@thesundaily.com tic Trade and Consumer Affairs in which there were contradictory
Ministry officials, field experts results,” Tunku Karldej said.
PETALING JAYA: and the chemistry department. On whether there had been
Nanotag has saved “The tests included putting any case where Nanotag was
the government some droplets of Nanotag into contain- laundered out of diesel, Tunku
RM2.3 billion in diesel ers because some parties were Karldej said there have been at-
subsidies between worried about inefficacies and the tempts even a couple of weeks
April 2006 and August risk of being dragged to court,” after it was implemented but
this year, says Teras Tunku Karldej said at his office none have been successful.
Kimia. in Shah Alam recently. “We continuously improve our
Its chief executive, He said if the parties were still product to stay one step ahead
Tunku Karldej Tunku wary about the product even after and keep the efficiency and effec-
Shamsul Bahrin, said the the tests, they would not have tiveness of the product,” Tunku
marker was put through agreed to the implementation Karldej said, adding that other
a six-month trial with all of Nanotag. “But there were no variants of Nanotag are used in
oil companies before it was complaints. Teras Kimia strove many countries for petroleum
implemented. Moreover, to ensure that its product met or products and diesel.