The future of MCA
The discord between Dr Chua and Liow has long been an open secret. However, it has recently evolved into an increasingly intense war of words. The party election scheduled to be held in the end of this year is undoubtedly the catalyst of their worsening relations.
Soong Phui Jee, Sin Chew
MCA two top leaders have came to an open rupture. President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s claim that his deputy, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had put pressure on him to quit as MCA president has angered Liow who later furiously lashed out at Dr Chua for fabricating stories.
The discord between Dr Chua and Liow has long been an open secret. However, it has recently evolved into an increasingly intense war of words. The party election scheduled to be held in the end of this year is undoubtedly the catalyst of their worsening relations.
After suffering a great defeat in the May 5 General Election, Dr Chua had announced under great pressure that he would not seek re-election. In recent days, however, Dr Chua has been actively visiting and hanging around with grassroots members. It seems like he is working hard to make preparation for the party election and showing no sign of retiring.
Dr Chua is excellent at planning ploys and his greatest advantage is good at organising grassroots and winning their support. In the three-corner fight of the party’s election on 28 March 2010, Dr Chua defeated incumbent Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, proving his ability in gaining party members’ support and the strength of his factional forces. If he really wishes to seek for re-election, it will definitely be the biggest impediment for Liow to move up to the next level.
Liow is one of the MCA’s new generation leaders and compared to Dr Chua who is ethically tainted, he is mild-mannered and practical. To win the party, however, strength is more important than image. Liow came from the MCA Youth and of course, his greatest support also comes from the MCA Youth. The youth wing alone, however, is not enough to make him the party president. He must fight for the support of party state leaders, Wanita MCA and sufficient Central Committee delegates to get a chance of toppling Dr Chua, who is deep-rooted.
An unchangeable fact is, the influence of MCA has shrunk today. The severe general election defeat has brought unprecedented and unbearable embarrassment to the party. However, its members did not unite to face the external enemies and learn from their mistakes, but have instead been caught in the quagmire of infighting. Not only the leaders have been caught in the mess, causing the loss of struggling spirit, but the grassroots are also low in morale and confused.
Even worse, the decision of not to accept any government posts made the MCA seem to have exiled and marginalised itself, and became a bit part in an awkward position. It has lost the basic right to speak and negotiate in front of Umno while the Chinese community is walking away from it. Its future is indeed worrisome.
There is nothing to fear about failure, but it is fearful to carry no reflection and reform. The MCA is currently caught in such a brutal political reality. No matter who will be elected the party’s president, he or she will have to rectify the badly wounded party. Therefore, the MCA needs not only a good president, but also a president and leadership that can save the party, or it would be hard to have optimistic expectations about its future.
