How Tee Keat can have his cake and eat it too

By Thomas Lee

A fresh party election may not be a bad idea, especially when it will provide Ong with an opportunity to be resurrected from the political grave Chua had dug for him.

Chua Soi Lek wants his arch rival Ong Tee Keat to resign as the MCA president following the 10 October 2009 party EGM when Ong lost a confidence vote by a slim margin of 14 votes.

Chua has also called for the party to hold another EGM to elect a new set of party officials.

A fresh party election may not be a bad idea, especially when it will provide Ong with an opportunity to be resurrected from the political grave Chua had dug for him.

How can this be?

Let’s take an objective examination of what happened at the EGM and the subsequent results following it.

Contrary to claims by the so-called Third Force that it was responsible for ousting both Ong and Chua from the party leadership, the reality is that Ong lost the confidence vote because there was a Brutus at work in his own camp.

Marcus Junius Brutus, who lived during 85-42 BC, was an ambitious young politician who played a major role in the assassination of Emperor Julius Caesar in an attempt to take over the leadership of the country.

The MCA Brutus who is supposed to be aligned to the Ong camp knew that if Ong was ousted as the top party leader and Chua was deprived of his reinstatement as party deputy president, then it will be his kairos (opportune) time to achieve his political ambition of becoming the MCA president.

The Brutus people were quietly told to ensure the no-confidence resolution against Ong and the one stopping the reinstatement of Chua were carried, and so they were.

Ong now has no choice but to step down as the MCA president, although under the party constitution he is not required to do so as the vote against him was less than the two-thirds needed to remove a party chief.

However, Ong certainly cannot stay on as the MCA president now as his credibility will be questioned and his integrity is at stake. He had, prior to the EGM, publicly stated that he will quit if he lost the confidence vote by even a simple majority.

Ong must resign to uphold his own personal integrity and moral principle.

But all is not lost for Ong. Perhaps the most viable option for him and the party to get out of this confusing chaotic situation is hold fresh elections for the whole of its central leadership.

The MCA central committee meeting on Thursday should seriously consider the option of resigning en masse to allow the party to hold another EGM to hold fresh elections.

I believe this is the best option, and to the advantage of Ong, who could then have his cake and eat it too.

Remember, Ong lost only by a slim 14 votes in the no-confidence vote. But he needs to honour his own word and respect the vote of the central delegates by stepping down from the leadership position.

A fresh election will allow Ong to regain his mandate from the party delegates to continue as the legitimate leader of the MCA.

Obviously, Chua will challenge Ong if there is a new contest for the presidency, but given his tainted image and contaminated reputation, it is unlikely that he will be able to beat Ong. The MCA people know that Chua has become a liability to the party and having him as the president will ensure no recovery for the badly bruised and damaged party.

Meanwhile, the MCA Brutus will not dare to enter the fray for the top post as it will expose him to being a selfish ambitious young upstart who betrayed Ong at the EGM.

There is currently no other viable person, other than Ong, who could provide the bold and brave leadership for the MCA to stand up firmly against the external intimidating interference of the party affairs, and also to ensure its legitimate bargaining rights in the Barisan Nasional coalition government.

However, Ong needs a firm fresh mandate to continue his reform and resurgence of the MCA. A fresh election will allow him to be given the party authorization and endorsement to continue his reforming crusade.

The MCA central committee, by resigning en masse, will allow the party another chance to survive the titanic crisis and regenerate into a position of strength and regain its relevance and respect in the Chinese community.