Is there peace in MCA now; will there be peace after the elections?
It was revealed last week that there was a unity plan between Liow’s and Chua’s factions, whereby both sides will get an equal number of positions in the central leadership.
Cindi Loo, The Ant Daily
The 900,000-member strong MCA is set to have a new central leadership on Saturday (Dec 21) after the ballots of the 2,385 delegates with voting rights are counted.
In the run-up to the elections, after months of branch and division polls, outgoing party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek confirmed talk of a “peace plan” with his deputy Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
The outcome, however, is still unclear.
Is there peace in MCA now? Will there be peace after Saturday?
While the general feeling amongst MCA delegates and the public is to see a smooth progression of the party after polling day, it is still unclear whether the warring factions can close ranks and end the party’s protracted leadership bickering.
But MCA’s “cai tan” (menu of names of factions) politics makes a mockery of its democratic electoral process; apart from factionalism, financial backing and pressure from outsiders with vested interests, money politics, and behind-the-scene horse trading continue to be the norm, influencing the election outcome.
It was revealed last week that there was a unity plan between Liow’s and Chua’s factions, whereby both sides will get an equal number of positions in the central leadership.
Under the so-called peace plan, although the president and deputy president posts were not decided, two leaders from both camps were expected to fill up the four vice-president seats, and Liow’s camp will take up 12 central committee (CC) seats, with Chua’s camp taking 13.
The peace plan, as reported, was hatched to ensure greater unity within the party to restore MCA’s fractured image caused by endless leadership struggles.
But the “peace plan” is said to have thrown supporters of both camps into disarray, particularly among leaders who were not named in the “cai tan”.
The crowded field of aspirants vying for all central positions speaks volumes of the lack of peace.
