Isa Samad and his little-known political twin brother

His enemies were not too pleased. Even before Isa's camp popped the celebratory champagne (siapa kata Umno tak minum arak??), his enemies huddled together and decided to get even. In a matter of weeks, they collated the evidence gathered in the run-up to the 2004 party election.

 

Their hard work paid off: after months of nail-biting wait, Tengku Rithaudeen, head of the Umno disciplinary board announced the suspension of Tan Sri Isa for six years on nine counts of vote-buying. At that time, Tan Sri Isa had moved on to become the Federal Teritories Minister. Umno leaders came out in support of Pak Lah's efforts to clean up the party. Just for the record, Tan Sri Isa's skulduggery took place as early as 2003 as he put his machai in place all over the country in preparartion for his elevation from a mere MKT member to a veep.

 

Now in 2009, another Isa Samad is in the making, this time in the form of MCA's Chua Soi Lek. Both are stout, linguist experts in the grassroots language and love money more than Brutus loved Rome. Like Isa Samad, he faced disciplinary action after leaving his Johor base to take up a Federal Ministerial post.

 

In the 2008 party election, the CSL camp threw money like there was no tomorrow, thanks in no small part to the help from his political master, Ling Liong Sik. Through underworld links, Chua Soi Lek brought in S$20 million from Singapore, carried across the Causeway in five separate occassions, using unmarked cars. His long-time business partner, Thegaraja Navaseelan, was the conduit. Everyone in Johor MIC knows Thega was the middleman that hired the assassin who did the job on Tenggaroh assemblyman S Krishnasamy in January 2008.

 

In August 2009, Chua Soi Lek was sacked ostensibly for his involvement in the sex DVD scandal. But we all know he is the Father of Money Politics in MCA. But CSL is smarter than Isa Samad. He saw the disciplinary board's decision coming and decided to stir sentiments. He cried conspiracy over the delay in the board's decision to act against him and also the fact that he was duly elected as the vice-president.

 

And CSL has been running to Umno like a cry baby. His favourite intermediary is the PM's political secretary Dr Oh Ei Sun. Another was Tan Sri Michael Chen, who used to be the political secretary to the PM's father. CSL sold his case to Umno: "I keep President in check, he keeps me in check. Win-win for Umno and me."

 

But he forgot a few things: the so-called "delay" in acting against him was imaginary. Isa Samad committed his offence as early as mid-2003 and Rais Yatim's boys can attest to that and had given proof to Tengku Rithaudeen. Isa was found guilty in June 2005. All in, it took about two years to nail Isa. CSL's disciplinary case was only lodged in mid-2008 by a member in Johor by the name of Eng Cheng Guan.

 

The MCA disciplinary panel came up with a verdict in August 2009. That's just 14 months, much shorter than the 2 years Umno took to nail Isa. Even if you consider that CSL's case was discovered in January 2008, the "delay" is just 19 months. That is also because all MCA disciplinary cases were put on hold due to last year's MCA elections. And Umno did not have such problems to deal with in the Isa Samad case. Their proceedings were swift like the Iraqi invasion.

 

If Umno can act against a duly-elected vice-president who garnered the highest vote (and the then Federal Territory Minister ) who only breached the party's regulations, why should MCA shy away from acting against a leader (who's not even a Minister) and who had broken the country's law (several police reports had been lodged over CSL having oral sex)?

 

One standard for Umno and one for MCA? You be the judge.