Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today reminded MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek not to make statements that can cause anger or are prejudicial to other races.

Muhyiddin, who is also BN deputy chairman, said Dr Chua should be more open-minded and concerned about the sensitivities and needs of other races in the country.

azlan "Fighting for the interests of one's race is one's right but it should not be at the expense of the interests of other races.

"Umno, fights for the interests of Malays but also takes into consideration the welfare of other races.

"As such, do not cause uneasiness and anger just because you want to defend the rights of others," he told reporters after launching the 'Skim Prihatin 1Wilayah Persekutuan' programme in Kuala Lumpur today.

Muhyiddin said this when asked to comment on Dr Chua's statement today that MCA would not be afraid of sharing similar views with the DAP in terms of the interests of the Chinese community or choose to run away from making a stand.

    

'Not reasonable'

Muhyiddin said any BN component party could champion its own interests but should not touch on the sensitivities of other component parties or races as this could lead to misunderstandings within the coalition.

He said anything the MCA fought for was just as important to the BN because it was part of the coalition.

"I do not think MCA will sacrifice the team spirit in the BN and take the side of the DAP," he said.

On Dr Chua's speech at the Malaysian Chinese Economic Congress on Saturday calling for the Bumiputera equity target of 30 per cent to be reduced in stages, Muhyiddin said it was not reasonable as the target had yet to be achieved.

    

Bernama

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