BN component parties like “beggars”

UPDATE: I’ve translated some parts of the article here.

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Original post:
This has got to be the laugh of the day. I found this from Lim Kit Siang’s blog:

“Position of BN component parties like beggars” is the headline of today’s Sin Chew Daily exclusive interview with former Gerakan President Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, with a secondary headline: “Not given equal respect – Lim Keng Yaik”

Keng Yaik, who is now Gerakan adviser, told Sin Chew that Barisan Nasional component parties like MCA, MIC including Gerakan ended up with status like that of “beggars” as they were not given equal position in the Barisan Nasional.

He criticized BN for not treating its component parties equally. He stressed that although Malay special rights are protected under the Constitution, the non-Malays also clearly enjoy their own rights.

This is a gem of an admission from Keng Yaik, who had been a Cabinet Minister for 22 years from 1986 to 2008.

MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties had long been criticized for accepting “beggar politics” in the Barisan Nasional and Cabinet.

When did Keng Yaik discover that he had been a “beggar Minister” for 22 years? After his political retirement and the March 8 political tsunami?

Go here for more.

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I have yet to read the Chinese article, but I’m sure to post an update about it after I’ve read it. But judging from what Kit Siang has already written in his blog, I’m thinking that it just about sums up the entire article, except for a few parts where Lim Keng Yaik attempts to give a few suggestions as to how the other component parties in BN can become relevant again, and “elevate” themselves from this “beggar status”.

For Keng Yaik to come to this “conclusion” after the entire party got washed out from Penang is a laugh. I guess one has to hit the ground before realising he’s falling.