In response to the controversial comments made by Umno deputy Youth chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, MCA president Ong Ka Ting argued that the party had always stood together with Umno through thick and thin.

Ong said that when Umno was deregistered in 1988, MCA had ensured that "Umno was brought back into Barisan Nasional and continue to lead Barisan Nasional".

When Umno was challenged by the 'reformasi' campaign by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim through a series of demonstrations at the height of the economic crisis in the late-1990s, Ong said MCA also provided "full support to Umno leadership".

"MCA and the Chinese community understand that Umno, which represents the Malay race, are the main stabilisers of Barisan Nasional and the government," said Ong in his presidential address.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy, Najib Abdul Razak, were among the 1,800 people present at today's MCA annual general meeting.

He said that MCA and the Chinese community hold on to the principle that "when a friend is in jeopardy, we do not take advantage to backstab a fellow comrade. Instead, we stand firm together and give our support."

Ong then declared that the party is fully behind Abdullah as Barisan Nasional chairperson and the country's prime minister, to which Abdullah abruptly stood up to the applause from the floor.

Abdullah's son-in-law, Khairy, had stirred up controversy when he warned that the minority Chinese community would take advantage of a weakened Umno to press for their rights.

Help non-bumis SMEs

Meanwhile, Ong lamented that only 16 percent of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are able to obtain funding from financial institutions.

He said the SMEs, which are mostly non-bumiputera, face difficulty in obtaining loans from banking institutions. He added that "bureaucratic" bank officers have poor grasp of the workings of small businesses to the point of not entertaining loan applications.

The national SME Development Council was formed in 2004 and is chaired by the prime minister.

"MCA has received complains that many non-bumiputera entrepreneurs have faced problems in obtaining loan whether from the SME Bank or other government funds," he said.

Ong urged that more funds be allocated to the government-owned SME Bank or other financial institutions to assist non-bumiputera entrepreneurs.

Crime and violence

Another issue raised was crime, which Ong said was increasing in frequency and violence.

He praised the MCA Youth for "taking proactive steps to assist the authorities in combating crime by holding large anti-crime campaigns and night patrols".

He said that the MCA ministers have brought the matter to the cabinet "so that the government can take positive steps in overcoming crime."

Ong, who is minister of housing and local government, said he has directed all municipal and city council to take 23 appropriate steps under the "Safe City" concept (despite that the ministry having no jurisdiction over local councils).

Ong also reiterated MCA's stand that vernacular primary schools SJK(C) be continued to be constructed.

"It was found that 85 percent of SJK(C) proceeded to government secondary schools (SMKs) where they mingled with students of other races.

"We feel these students, who usually end up mastering three languages (English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin) are not lacking in love for the country and patriotism," he said.

He added that the majority of MCA central committee members are SJK(C) products.