Clock is ticking and party leaders need to get act together

2009/11/05

By Zubaidah Abu Bakar

THE mess in the MCA as a result of open spat between its two influential leaders does not look like it is about to abate anytime soon.

The spectre of turmoil ahead is still staring at the party, threatening to further erode the little confidence that the people still have in the party that has been around since the past six decades.

Fact is, the greater unity plan (GUP) that party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and his newly reinstated deputy Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek have hatched, may not get a chance to be implemented fully under present circumstances.

The immediate stumbling block is obviously the insistence from groups within for MCA to still hold another extraordinary meeting to resolve its current conflicts.

This smacks of the lack of confidence of some members in the GUP despite it getting the endorsement of two-thirds of the party's central committee and the nod of prime minister and Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai's refusal to recognise Dr Chua's reinstatement by the Registrar of Societies and his intention to challenge the ROS' decision are also threatening to off track the plan that had been laid down during Tuesday's party central committee meeting.

The GUP, despite criticisms from some CC members of lacking transparency, at the least, indicated the willingness of the warring leaders to patch up for the sake of the party and the Chinese community the MCA is supposed to represent politically and in the government.

Dr Chua's willingness to put aside his bitter experience in the past one year should be emulated by other party leaders.

If he can let go of the past for the good of the party, why can't others?

Liow for one will look good in the eyes of party members if he accepts the status quo and remains committed to serve the party as vice-president, the position to which he was elected by delegates last year.

His tenure as deputy president for 19 days following his election by the CC after all was only by default, not the choice of delegates.

Challenging the ROS in court, though Liow's right, will not only take a long time to resolve but also throw the MCA into limbo for a period that makes it impossible to aggressively implement measures to win back support in time for the next general election that must be held by 2013.

Tuesday's shake-up in the central committee is only a part of the GUP -- a political solution to the crisis.

Ong and Dr Chua realised that only an united MCA would be able to strengthen the party and place it in a position strong enough to make up for the loss of trust of the Chinese community in the party.

It is for this reason that they decided to work hand in hand. Ong's decision to remove four CC members whom he appointed because they are not toeing the line has been seen by a party observer as something not unusual.

The party president expected the quartet to rally behind him in bad times, when he needed their support. And since he was the one who appointed them, it is thus not too much for him to expect them to relinquish their seats if they have for whatever reasons, to take an opposing stand.

The appointment of Dr Chua's supporters to fill three of the four vacant seats was also viewed as part of the consolidation efforts of the warring camps.

If talks about Ong allowing Dr Chua to head the Johor MCA while he moves to take control of Pahang, followed by other new appointments at the state level are true, then there is still hope for the MCA to put back its house in order.

MCA leaders have already wasted one whole year fighting each other when they should have been putting their act together to ensure the party is still relevant to the Chinese in the next general election. Time is not on MCA's side. The clock is ticking.

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