Chua’s second coming

By Deborah Loh (The Nut Graph)

THE post of Barisan Nasional (BN) chief coordinator has been called a "consolation prize" for MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who has been sidelined in the party by his boss, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

There's also talk that the post is a "trap" to make Chua the fall guy if he fails to deliver Chinese Malaysian voters in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-controlled states back to the BN. As chief coordinator, Chua is expected to revive the lethargic BN machinery in seats lost to PR.

Whatever the speculation, it marks the former health minister's return to the main stage of national politics, after a year in the wilderness since quitting all government and party posts following a sex video scandal.

Chua paid the price not only in terms of public humiliation, but was given little recognition in the party despite staging a remarkable comeback when he was elected as MCA's number two in party polls last October.

Chua denies that the specially-created BN post was meant to forestall him from joining the opposition, declaring himself a loyal party-man despite attempts by PR to woo him.

Whatever the case, Chua's mandate will not be easy. It shows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's firm resolve in wresting back the PR-ruled states and regaining the parliamentary two-thirds BN had enjoyed before the 2008 general election.

Floundering BN

Najib's latest move in creating the chief coordinator post is a follow-up to earlier decisions that indicate his seriousness about reviving a demoralised BN and winning back voters.

Najib Razak

Since becoming prime minister on 3 April, Najib has revamped the Umno state liaison chiefs line-up, to consolidate control in all the states with those whom he trusts and who are popular within the party. These Umno chiefs are also the BN chairpersons in those states.

Najib's selection of Chua as chief coordinator will likely overshadow any discontent in Umno that the post was given to MCA. It might in fact be a calculated move to show Chinese Malaysian voters that one of the most vocal leaders from the community now stands alongside Umno counterparts at the BN level.

"Umno already holds important posts in the BN like secretary-general and treasurer," says MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok. He had recently accompanied Chua to visit PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa to discuss the Perak political crisis.

"Najib has to do something about the BN in the seats we lost. There is a lack of zeal in those places, there's less activity and morale is low. Someone needs to revive the BN there," posits Loh about the reason for the chief coordinator post. Loh was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kelana Jaya but was not chosen by MCA to defend his seat in the general election last year.

DAP central executive committee member Liew Chin Tong concedes that Najib is a more formidable opponent than former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"He's competent and is obviously doing his best to keep the BN together. By putting Johor under the purview of the chief coordinator, he wants to control what we can call the last BN frontier in the peninsula," notes Liew, who is also MP for Bukit Bendera.

Johor and Negeri Sembilan are also under Chua's watch even though they are BN states.

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