'It is both tragic and harrowing that Najib should see it fit today to warn, threaten or otherwise hold the Chinese at ransom in such a cavalier fashion.'

Chinese must choose - vote MCA or else no gov't posts

Onyourtoes: Now I am confused, PM. You told us to support MCA or be left out of the government. But are Chinese, through MCA, part of the government in the first place?

I think the Chinese do not want to be in charge of road accidents, dengue fever or clogged drains anymore. See the irony, before the Chinese could contemplate your calling, your outsourced extremists, Perkasa, has already warned the MCA and Gerakan to toe the line or lose Malay votes. So how?

When you said Chinese representation in government, do you mean Chinese will be allowed more opportunities to do business only? What is the point of doing business in an increasingly uncompetitive and rent-seeking environment? How do you do business and have better quality of life when the government is increasingly corrupt, inefficient and incompetent.

No, the Chinese do not want just to do business only. The Chinese want to be judges, in charge of civil service, municipals, districts, defence, trade and finance. We want to do so not because we want to abuse or dominate others. We want to help to better manage this country. Can or not?

Singa Pura Pura: Perhaps the uneasy leader of Umno and his eager deputy need more time to let it sink in. The MCA has reached the end of its shelf life in Malaysian politics as far as Chinese representation in the government goes.

The MCA has had close to half a century to serve the Chinese in Malaysia but it has failed to do so in any meaningful manner. Its leaders have, successively and continuously, failed the Chinese Malaysians, generation after generation.

The MCA has not grown any stronger or wiser since its inception. On the contrary, it has grown increasingly weaker, become less relevant and ended up as a mere doormat for Umno leaders to wipe the dirt off their grimy soles. It is both tragic and harrowing that the leader of Umno should see it fit today to warn, threaten or otherwise hold the Chinese Malaysians at ransom in such a cavalier fashion.

That it has come to this is spine-chilling. This is a watershed for the Chinese in Malaysia. It is time to say: take your four second-class ministerial posts and shaft it up Umno's posterior. We don't want or need it. The MCA ministers have never done anything for us and we do not expect that they ever can or will.

From the time of Lee San Choon, right down to that of Chua Soi Lek, through Tan Koon Swan, Ling Liong Sik, Ong Ka Ting and the others - what have the MCA presidents done for the Chinese or for the country? For whom did they slay the stolen calf?

The presidential history of the MCA is fraught with fraud. That is a fact. MCA representation in the cabinet amounts to no representation. It was zero representation all along. So take your four slots in the cabinet and - you know what to do with them.

Teh: Najib is doing a ‘Saya pantang dicabar' ala Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. With the MCA in government, the typical Chinese Malaysian feels like a second-class citizen anyway. So what have they got to lose by not voting MCA? And whatever happened to Najib's 1Malaysia? Or is it 1MCAMalaysia?

Kutty: The PM speaks as if Malaysia is BN's to rule for all eternity. This sparks of arrogance and political naivety. He takes it for granted that people will continue to be coaxed to vote BN into power with each and every election.

Pray tell, Mr PM, what if Pakatan Rakyat is voted into government after the next general election? Doesn't that mean that the Chinese (or any other races for that matter) who voted for Pakatan representatives will be represented (based on your theory, not mine)?

Speaking of that, what does it matter if MCA is there to represent the Chinese or not? A minister of the cabinet is to serve all the rakyat, each and every one, rich or poor, regardless of race or creed.

Why do you need us, political nobodies, to advise you the very basic principles of democracy?

Md Imraz Muhammed Ikhbal: My dear Chinese brethren, search your conscience and engage your God-given intelligence and answer just this one simple question with utmost honesty - for the sake of your race, do you really care if your race is represented by MCA?

Or are you way better off represented by non-Chinese who truly care for the nation and treat all races, not withstanding creed or religion, with respect and dignity?

For those of you blessed with IQ higher than that of a hamster, come next GE, go tell Najib to shove his threat up you know where. Believe you me, we Malays with like thinking shall do exactly that.

EugeneT: Chua Soi Lek must be really desperate to think he can blackmail the Chinese into voting for MCA to be a running dog for the Umnoputras. Najib must really be out of sync with the Chinese to think Soi Lek's threat will pull votes back to BN. My response to Soi Lek and the PM: Naaaaaah!

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: Najib, please call the GE13 tomorrow. I am sure that your threats against the Chinese and urban Indians will win you more votes. Fine, no representation without votes. So what legitimacy will your government have with less than 50 percent of the Malay votes and no votes from the large non-Malay ethnic groups?

Najib's statement also comes across as exclusionary based on race, so 1Malaysia is officially dead.

Anonymous_5fb: Najib, are you not aware that if MCA and Gerakan lose all the seats they contested, Umno will not be able to form government in both state and federal levels? So, your contention that Chinese will not be represented doesn't arise at all since you will not be the PM and BN will not be able to form government.

But even if BN is able to form the next government, can't the BN be a government for all even if no one from MCA is in your cabinet? This simply shows how arrogant and ignorant Umno and BN are.

One more thing Najib, you failed to realise this is not about race, but that you have lost your credibility to govern the country. You don't even realise that Umno is no more a party that represents all Malays.

Oscar Kilo: Why is Najib still talking along racial lines? If he truly believes in 1Malaysia, then race won't matter anymore. He's telling the Chinese to vote for MCA, but there are Chinese who would rather vote for PAS.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .