Will suitors emerge for Soi Lek?
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang appeared not the least excited by the notion of Chua joining the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). When contacted, he would rather talk about the appointment of MAS managing director and CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.
Written by Yong Min Wei, The Edge
Partyless Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek may have a holiday in mind, but can he turn a deaf ear on all the speculation about his political future?
According to the rumour mill, MCA's loss is another party's gain, as the former MCA No 2's political influence among the Chinese remains strong, especially in the fortress BN state of Johor.
Medical doctor Chua's political credentials include serving as assemblyman for Penggaram, executive councillor, member of parliament for Labis and Health Minister.
He beat the odds and Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan to the MCA deputy presidency last year by securing 1,115 votes, edging out the former party secretary-general by 114 votes.
He pledged to help MCA members regain confidence following the party's dismal showing in the 2008 general election.
He also said he would work closely with the party's central committee and called on all party members to close ranks.
However, Chua's rocky relationship with MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the disciplinary issue in relation to his taped sexual escapade did not favour his appointment as a cabinet minister via a senatorship when Datuk Seri Najib Razak took over the premiership in April this year.
Speculations were rife then that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) had been courting him, to which Chua once remarked: "As I've said, I'm a party man of Barisan Nasional (BN).
"I have stayed and worked in this party for 25 years. Leaving is not an easy thing to do."
In May, Chua was appointed BN chief coordinator by Najib to foster closer cooperation among the coalition's component parties, especially at the grassroots level. It was a move aimed at diffusing dissatisfaction over his exclusion from the cabinet, some analysts said.
Chua has not said he would appeal his sacking, which could have also undermined his position as BN chief coordinator. It would be a difficult decision for him to make but events of the past week may just push him to decide to switch camp instead of prolonging the saga within MCA.
But are there parties ready to court him?
Gerakan Youth chief Lim Si Pin said as a BN component party, Gerakan's priority was to help mitigate the tensions that arose from the sacking of Chua.
He added that Gerakan had no intention of breaking the mutual understanding in BN that there should not be crossovers of "significant" leaders without high-level consultation between the coalition partners.
Citing an example, he said Gerakan took a fair bit of time to get the green light from the BN leadership to have then partyless Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Raymond Tan join Gerakan earlier this year.
The BN process of crossovers among its component parties must be upheld, Lim told The Edge Financial Daily.
"A lot depends on Chua himself as to whether he wants to be actively on the go. He has 14 days to appeal but I doubt he will. He (Chua) says he wants to take a rest," he said.
Lim said it was premature for Gerakan to court Chua as the former MCA deputy president had not hinted on the future of his political career nor an intention to join another BN component party soon.
"We will keep our options open," he said, when asked if Gerakan would open its doors to Chua.
For the record, Gerakan's founding president Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and former president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik were also once MCA leaders.
Meanwhile, PKR strategy director Tian Chua said the party had no plans to court Chua.
He said Chua's sacking was due to MCA's internal problems that PKR was not interested in getting drawn into.
"He (Chua) has strong backing and he will fight from within MCA. He may even unseat (Ong) Tee Keat," said Tian Chua, the Batu MP.
He said PKR was open to anyone who shares its principles and struggles, adding that Chua would already be in PKR if he subscribed to PKR's goals.
Tian Chua also said PKR had never courted Chua and the latter's claims of being approached by certain parties to switch camp were simply a ploy to gain the attention of MCA and BN leaders.
In July, former MCA vice-president Datuk Chua Jui Meng quit MCA to join PKR to help preserve the two-party system that emerged following the 12th general election.
DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang appeared not the least excited by the notion of Chua joining the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). When contacted, he would rather talk about the appointment of MAS managing director and CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.
"The question does not arise. I have nothing to say at this stage," said Lim to a question whether DAP would court Chua.
He said Chua was seen as a fighter and that it would be the primary aim of the former health minister to take up the challenge from within MCA than to move to another party just to prove a point.
"No, we have not heard from him," Lim said when asked if Chua had contacted DAP leaders lately.
In April, when asked by an online news portal which party he would join if he were to leave MCA, Chua replied that the options were limited. "I think they're all almost the same, nowadays. It's either PKR or the DAP," he said.
