Earlier this year Prime Minister Najib Razak blamed his Malay-dominated coalition's weaker performance in the May general election on a "Chinese tsunami" - Chinese voters deserted him to back the opposition.
The lower number of Chinese in government-funded universities is perceived by some as a backlash against the community, said Mr Chong.
His MCA party, traditionally the voice of the Chinese community within the governing coalition, lost half its seats in parliament. For the first time since Malaysia's independence from the British, the MCA has no members in the cabinet.