MCA religious harmony bureau chief Ti Lian Ker denied the grassroots leaders it sent to China received indoctrination training by the Communist Party of China (CPC), stating that they were only learning technical knowledge.

This was after former diplomat Dennis Ignatius, in a blog posting, expressed concern about MCA's activities with the CPC, including receiving cadre training.

"While details are still sketchy, it is well known that cadre training is an essential part of the CPC’s indoctrination methodology," Ignatius said. However, Ti disputed this.

"As to MCA dispatching grassroots leaders and headquarters staff for training at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (Celap) at the invitation of the CPC, Ignatius must rest assured that whatever training involving CPC’s 'political struggle' are purely his man-made misassumption and figment of imagination.

"There is absolutely nothing ideological at all in any of its training. There is no discussion on international politics, nor courses on regional politics," Ti said in a statement today...