MCA has backed a call by an Umno leader over DAP's "Malaysian Malaysia" slogan, urging the Pakatan Harapan component to reassess its pledge, among others, to do away with the Bumiputera and quota system following arguments that such goals are what hinder it from gaining Malay support.

"If Malaysian Malaysia is as per DAP’s promises of doing away with Bumiputera and quota or bringing back English as the official language etc, then it is time for DAP to admit their mistakes and be truthful to all Malaysian Malaysia once and for all," MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker said in a statement today.

"This is the simplest gesture that DAP can do and be responsible towards restoring a more united and harmonious Malaysian Malaysia dream of all Malaysians."

The issue had been raised by Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed, who said in a defence of his party that others in the coalition government also needed to change if they wanted to be accepted by the Malays.

"Throughout my observations, both direct and indirect, while chatting with friends and Umno members themselves, I have felt that the Malays, for decades, are still traumatised by the sentiments of the secular state and Malaysian Malaysia championed by DAP," Nur Jazlan said in a Facebook post on Aug 30.

"When I spoke with Malay voters in Selangor (at the last state election) and in Johor (while campaigning), the majority of them say that they cannot easily accept DAP's political ways which, for them, are still tied to the notion that it is a Chinese party.

"When I ask why the Malays have been able to accept MCA in Barisan Nasional, they say MCA is not extreme, and Umno is the dominant party in the coalition. This is different from DAP. They say they cannot accept the party's secular agenda because it is against the Malay and Islamic shariah."

Nur Jazlan also said that there was "no other way" of convincing the Malays that DAP was now different than for the party to abandon its agenda for a secular state and the Malaysian Malaysia slogan in its constitution.

"Because those two agendas continue to traumatise the Malays and make them unable to accept DAP's struggle," he said.

Ti said the Malaysian Malaysia slogan was originally used by Lee Kuan Yew and PAP in opposition to the Alliance government under Malaysia's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, with special references to Article 153 of the constitution on the special privileges granted to Malays and Bumiputeras for admission to public service, the award of public scholarships, admission to public education institutions and the award of trade licences.

He said DAP had adopted it in several declarations stating the party's commitment to the ideal of a free, democratic and socialist Malaysia, "based on the principles of racial equality, and social and economic justice, and founded on the institutions of parliamentary democracy".

He cited the Setapak Declaration which he said also stated DAP's goal of doing away with the quota system and the distinction between Bumiputeras and non-Bumiputeras, as well as others seeking matters such as the abolition of classification of "national" and "non-national" type schools by giving equal treatment to all streams of education, and the admission to universities based solely on meritocracy.

"Now that all these have been proven to be mere DAP propaganda and contributed towards the hatred for components in Alliance and BN in the past, it is time that DAP reassess their promises and admit their mistakes," he said.

"Is it really true that the Malaysian Malaysia concept or DAP’s concept of Malaysian Malaysia has contributed to the racial tension today? If Malaysian Malaysia is along the practices of the Alliance and as envisaged by Alliance and Bapak Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman, then we should educate and elaborate this concept to all in the context of multi-ethnic, multiracial and multicultural nation."