Focus on policy, respect each other, Melaka Chinese groups tell parties

Three Chinese organisations in Melaka have written to four political parties participating in the upcoming Nov 14 state election. They urge the parties to concentrate on their policy plans and approaches, instead of employing personal attacks against their opponents during their campaigns. The Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall, Melaka Chinese School Boards Association, and Malacca Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry submitted the memorandum during a meeting with representatives from DAP, PKR, MCA, and Bersama yesterday.

The memorandum, handed over by the Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall, consists of 46 policy proposals across governance, economy, education, culture, transport, healthcare, and social welfare. The Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall chairman, Piong Yew Peng, expressed his desire for the parties to transcend partisan politics while remaining active in the state's political affairs.

He appealed to both ruling and opposition parties to respect one another and foster a clean political environment through healthy policy debates, ultimately providing voters with a mature platform.

Piong revealed that the organizations had organized a roundtable with 30 associations across Melaka on Oct 1, gathering nearly 100 people. The memorandum submitted to the political parties is a compilation of the views of these grassroots community leaders, rather than a unilateral list of demands. Piong expressed hope that the political parties would consider adopting these proposals in their manifestos and policy agendas.