MCA to focus on recruiting young members to stay relevant

SEREMBAN - MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said the party is trying to recruit more young members to continue to stay relevant and competitive in the country’s political arena.

He said the party should strive to attract the participation of more youth aged as young as 18 as almost 90 per cent of its members are now aged 40 and above.

"Our members are getting older, about 90 per cent are above 40. So, I think we need to rejuvenate and get more young blood to be in our party, understand the problems of the younger generations,” he said after officiating the Negeri Sembilan MCA Annual General Meeting (AGM) today.

To achieve that, he said the party leadership should use various platforms to woo the youth, such as through community programmes and charity work.

Most importantly, he added, the party must have new talents who are articulate and have extensive knowledge to counter allegations against the party.

"We need new talents who are articulate, have the knowledge and can hit back at all the misconceptions, that is most important... because leaders with such qualities can reassure the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wee said that although MCA decided not to contest in the coming state elections, all party members have been told to give their support and cooperation to Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates.

He reiterated that the party’s stance not to contest the state polls this time was to enable it to focus on its preparations for the 16th general election (GE16).

Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan will go to the polls on Aug 12, with nominations set for July 29 and early voting on Aug 8. - BERNAMA