Crunch time for MCA central committee

Written by Sharon Tan, The Edge 

The MCA central committee (CC) has only one duty to perform when its members meet today — decide on the best option to heal the party from one of its worst crises.

In the meantime, the rumour mill has been working overtime in the search of the best person to helm MCA after delegates at the party’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) last Saturday booted out both its president and deputy president.

Talk at clandestine dinners and gatherings of MCA stalwarts seldom strayed from the subject of the preferred combination for top party posts. There were even whispers of attempts at horse trading among party hopefuls.

In contrast, there have also been many calls for fresh party polls from both within and outside the party. The move is seen as the only way to restore credibility to the party’s leadership.

And they have the backing of ousted deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who emerged from his 48-hour self-imposed gag with gun blazing and called for Ong to step down and pave the way for the polls.

Party veterans Datuk Seri Fong Chan Onn and Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai made similar petitions, coyly side-stepping questions on the possibility of their own comeback.

While president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat took off for a vacation, his supporters have been working hard to justify his continued stay in power. One desperate supporter even suggested that the no-confidence vote against Ong should be treated as nothing more than a key performance indicator (KPI) test on his leadership.

“So this time he didn’t do so well. It is a KPI for him to improve,” said the supporter. Some MCA leaders from Johor even suggested that leaders be put to such test every year to spur leadership improvement.

Meanwhile, debates rage on as to which MCA vice-president among Datuk Kong Cho Ha, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen would benefit the most in the aftermath of the EGM that left the second-biggest partner in Barisan Nasional (BN) leaderless. The party’s fourth vice-president Tan Kok Hong is not in the equation as he is seen as a lightweight in comparison to the three cabinet ministers.

Ng, the tourism minister, has stayed fairly quiet throughout the crisis, but she is said to be wanting to become the first woman to helm the party. However, her chances are considered slim on assumption that the male-dominated party is not ready for such a move yet.

She is reputed to be of steely resolve and sharp focus. She could give the party an image boost.

Most pundits, however, consider Liow and Kong as the more likely candidates to fill the top two spots. But who takes what position remains a big question.

Kong’s camp is staking its claim on the fact that he garnered the highest number of votes in the last party election and argued that the precedent was set by former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting should be followed. Ka Ting was chosen to take over as president in the party’s succession plan due to the votes he garnered at the party poll.

Kong, the housing and local government minister, would also have strong backing from Perak, a state with one of the highest number of delegates.

Liow, on the other hand, is said to enjoy the support of the Youth wing as he was its former chief. The health minister has a pleasant personality and is widely accepted as the tonic that MCA needs to solve the current crisis.

“We don’t need strong personalities or firebrands. What would be good for the party is someone who is not exciting but who is diplomatic, listens to all quarters and can pull the party through this difficult time,” a party insider said.

Horse trading is expected to continue to the last minutes before the meeting convenes.

According to a source, Ong is expected to meet some party veterans to work out a win-win solution for both the party and BN. Sources also said that 20 central committee members are in accord to ask Ong to step down immediately. But there is also a possibility that he would be given three months to make his exit in view of the fact that he was elected as president by a big majority and lost the confidence vote by a slim margin.

The central committee could also decide today to go for a clean slate by tendering its resignation en-bloc in order to pave the way for fresh polls. In such instance, the election must be conducted at the earliest date possible to ensure a quick end to this crisis.

In the run-up to the fresh polls, Ong, whose presidency would be one year old on Oct 18, should stay on to tie up loose ends. Ong has always come across as a person who honours his words. He knew that his time as party president was up when the result of the voting last Saturday was read out.

Given the scale of the problem, the MCA leadership may have no choice but to go back to its members for a fresh mandate. There should not be any question over the legitimacy and credibility of the leadership. The last thing MCA needs is a protracted civil war.