Liow told over 1,000 delegates present at the annual general meeting that he has never regretted being part of MCA.
“I joined MCA upon graduation. Until today, I have no regrets.
“I am no different from you and other members, who have sacrificed their youth and the prime of their life for MCA, for no other reason but the belief that MCA is a party worthy of our lifetime sacrifice, the belief that MCA is the only shelter for the Chinese, and the belief that MCA will forever fight until the end and never give up, for a better Malaysia,” he said in his speech at the party’s annual general meeting (AGM) here today.
Liow recited a poem by Chinese painter Zheng Banqiao, which best summarised his personal political struggle.
“I grip strongly on the green mountain, I set my root in the tough terrain;
“Come whatever challenges and elements, My determination and I remain.”
Liow, who is former Bentong MP, expressed gratitude to his mentors and comrades in the party.
“I would like to thank my mentors, for you have provided me with the opportunity to mature.
“I would like to thank all comrades who have supported me, you gave me energy to surge forward.
“I would like to thank all friends who have criticised me before, you reminded me of self-monitoring and self-improvement. I am particularly thankful to all comrades and MCA, without you, Liow Tiong Lai would be nobody,” he said.
Liow urged all MCA members to fully support Wee, and stressed that there was “no room for disunity, and no right to retreat”.
“We can only strive forward in unity, and in unison. Together, let us make MCA great again, and bring MCA back to the political mainstream, to continue our fight for the race and nation,” he said.
In his speech, Liow commended the delegates for a smooth election process.
“I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations and offer my prayers to the new leadership.
“I am pleased to note that the entire election process proceeded smoothly in an open, democratic and peaceful manner,” he said.
Liow also told the delegates that this could possibly be the last time he was addressing them at the AGM.
“It is heart-warming to see our comrades making an effort to be here for this AGM today with unity and high spirits, considering that MCA is faced with multiple challenges now.
“Your love and loyalty towards MCA, are indeed the key ingredients for our party’s survival. God bless MCA,” he said.
For MCA’s reform to be fully completed, Liow said the journey ahead was still long.
“There is still a very long way to go. Even though our efforts for the past five years were all for the benefit of the nation and people that none of us will regret, our biggest setback was our inability to convert the results of our transformation into ballots, or more precisely, into votes for MCA, and this is one of the factors behind our miserable failure in the 14th general election.
“I am sure, the new leadership under Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, will continue to push for party reform. I sincerely hope that the new leadership may learn from the past experiences and lessons and ensure that MCA’s transformation will be well accepted by the people at large and it will translate into votes,” he said.
Liow also expressed hope that MCA could be fully revitalised within 10 years, and return to play a role in the nation’s mainstream politics.
He also assured the Chinese community that they still had MCA to rely on, even as they come to the realisation that nobody in the ruling coalition is taking Chinese rights and dignity seriously anymore.
He urged the new leadership to seriously manage the relationship with the Chinese community, as the party and the community are inseparable and mutually dependent, and this will never change.
“The community may have abandoned MCA, but we cannot bear to see a vacuum exist as far as protection of the rights of the Chinese community is concerned. Otherwise, our future generation will have nobody to turn to.
“MCA as a race-based Chinese party, has consistently undertaken a multiracial approach since day one. Our founding mission and ideology are very simple and clear: We safeguard the rights of the Chinese while joining hands with our partner parties to build up the nation.
“For 60 years, we actively executed our role in facilitating racial harmony and pushing for national development. MCA is a mover and guardian for multiracial moderate politics, and our firmness in defending diversity and moderation, is second to none among all political parties,” he added.