Nothing Personal Ex Mca Veep Says On Criticism Of Wee

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Ti Lian Ker says he was merely voicing the grassroots's frustration in publishing a stinging post aimed at the party president.
Former MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker said party president Wee Ka Siong was open to criticism and had never sought to censure him for his comments.PETALING JAYA: MCA’s Ti Lian Ker says there is nothing personal about his recent criticism of party president Wee Ka Siong, and that he was merely voicing the frustration of the grassroots over Umno’s growing rapport with DAP
The former MCA vice-president also said that he was merely a messenger, and that he had decided to take up the responsibility of reprimanding the leadership as “some do not know how to convey the truth”.
“They are unhappy. For them, the party’s perceived silence is an implicit endorsement of the ‘intimacy’ displayed by Umno and DAP, and that in itself is an affront to us partners,” he told FMT.
Ti also said the recent visit by MPs from DAP to Umno’s headquarters was “a slap in MCA’s face”, and that the optics were unmistakable.
The former deputy minister said that every handshake, smile, and social media post from DAP leaders on their “field trip” was a taunt at MCA and MIC.
It also gave the impression that the unity government’s core players could afford to sideline their Barisan Nasional (BN) partners, he said.
“My remarks may have come off as brutal and direct, but they cut to the heart of the matter,” Ti said.
Last week, Ti accused Wee of being haughty when responding to questions about MCA’s future in BN, warning that such posturing would alienate fence-sitters – the voters who would ultimately decide if MCA remained relevant in the next general election.
In a previous Facebook post, Ti said that many MCA members were still waiting for the party to respond to how it had been treated since Umno, the BN lynchpin, decided to cosy up to DAP after the formation of the unity government.
On Saturday, China Press reported that Wee had called Ti to explain his side.
Ti reiterated that arrogance and poor optics could cost MCA its future.
He said that in politics, it was not what “you decide in the boardroom, but what the people see from the outside”.
“I respect Wee because, despite sometimes being the harshest critic of MCA and me, he remains open to criticism and has never sought to censure me.
“We have our differences, but I know that I can be brutally honest with him, and vice versa,” he said. - FMT

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