Delegates at the MCA Youth general meeting today took turns to criticise deputy Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin over recent controversial remarks made against the Chinese community.

Opening the salvo was MCA Youth chief Liow Tiong Lai, although never naming Khairy, condemned the latter's remarks which insinuated that the Chinese community would take advantage of Umno's weak position to make demands.

"There are people claiming that shares of a company cannot be sold to non-bumiputeras ... some claimed that (whenever) Umno (is in a weak position), the Chinese would take advantage and make demands,

"I want to remind them, such actions are a form of myopic racial sentiments, meant to create self inflated heroism to exaggerate a community's insecurities. Such actions have no market in the globalised era," Liow said to thunderous applause.

"Those who spread such sentiments, if not meant as a distraction, are out to gain political mileage," added Liow in his speech delivered in Mandarin.

However, he ommitted mentioning issues related to Khairy during the English and Malay portions of his speech.

Party observers, when approached, unanimously agreed that the delegates' sentiments against Khairy was overwhelming as more than half of the 20 delegates who took the podium took potshots at him.

'Serve you right Khairy!'

Johor delegate Yeong Kian Heng told the assembly that MCA had all the while been faithful to Umno, especially during the 1987 and 1998 party crises.

"The MCA has never taken advantage, but instead stood steadfastly with Umno's leadership," he thundered.

Negeri Sembilan delegate Lee Liu Hoay expressed no sympathy over a heavy financial loss by Khairy when he sold off his shares of ECM-Libra.

"Serve you right! Your loss is justified!" said Lee, adding that Khairy knew he would make a loss if he sold the shares to a bumiputera.

Lee also took Khairy's MCA Youth counterpart, Ling Hee Leong (right), to task for forging too cosy a relationship with the latter.

"He had a private meeting with Khairy recently, but I hope Ling did not intend to lend him money. If not, Ling would never win any post as he would be betraying us (by lending money to Khairy)," he added.

Several delegates spoke of how Khairy, as one of the few Malaysian Oxford graduates, would make such statements that was "hurtful and insulting" to the MCA, which had been a long serving partner of the Umno led Barisan Nasional coalition.

Yen Yen schools Khairy

On the Wanita MCA front, its leader Dr Ng Yen Yen advised 31-year old Khairy that there were better ways to make political gains other than fanning racism.

"There are many ways to go through his political agenda. It is not necessary to use racism or extremism," she told a press conference today after delivering her speech at the Wanita MCA 31st annual general meeting.

She also voiced her concern about how Khairy's inflammatory remarks can cause worries and doubts in Malaysia's multiracial society.

Last Friday, while officiating the Jerlun Umno Youth division delegates conference in Kedah, Khairy warned party members that Chinese Malaysians would exploit the current infighting within Umno to advance their interest.

During the speech, Khairy attributed MCA initiated memorandum to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier this year to demand for better treatment, and the Malaysian Chinese Election Appeals Committtee (Suqiu) demands in 1999, to the weak position of Umno during that time.

Irked national leaders of BN component parties MCA and Gerakan then led a stinging counter attack, branding him as "immature" and bent on conjuring "imaginary enemies".