One party domination in coalition is unhealthy, says Mah

SHAH ALAM: Barisan Nasional (BN) should not be controlled by a single party.
This was what Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong (pix) said with regards to the controversial Red Shirt rally on Sept 16.
"It shows that we can have different opinions, but it is not healthy to have one party dominate BN," Mah said during his opening speech at the Gerakan Life Member General Meeting today.
MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai reportedly said that most BN component parties reject the Red Shirt rally, but they were allowed to assemble anyway.
Mah, however, stopped short on naming the dominant BN party, instead saying that it is a good development that parties can agree to disagree.
"For the first time, BN component parties have agreed to disagree. This is the first time I have seen it and it shows that we can have different opinions," he said.
Meanwhile, Mah said Gerakan had submitted its political funding proposals to the government last week, and it may be the first political party to do so.
The Teluk Intan MP and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said the party has been working on the proposal for the past one month – proving that Gerakan walks the talk.
"We are probably the first party to do it. We want political funding to be regulated and we hope that it can be passed by Parliament before the next General Election," Mah said.
The proposals include eliminating donor anonymity and setting a donation ceiling so no donor can have a significant hold on political parties.
On another note, Mah said that one of the most common feedback gathered from grassroot members is on the issue of too much politicking.
He said members are unhappy that not much has been done to address bread and butter issues such as the rising costs of living, Goods and Services Tax (GST), and crime.
Mah said even though politics is important, there must be a good balance between policy making and helping the common man.