MCA fighter who might end

up the biggest loser

2009/11/30

THE mild-mannered MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has been talking tough lately -- even if it is tough love.

It began with his faction demanding that party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat "respect" the vote of no confidence in him at the party's Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

Liow then questioned the legality of the Registrar of Societies' ruling that Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek be returned the party No. 2 following his failure to be reinstated as deputy president at the EGM.

Liow's latest move was the announcement of Declaration 1128 at a special briefing on Saturday, which pushed for fresh Central Committee (CC) elections and a limit to presidential powers.

Some are arguing that Liow has to be more aggressive in challenging what he claims is abuse of power by Ong and his nemesis-turned-ally Dr Chua in the interest of democracy in the party.

But he had stopped short of demanding their resignations, which raises questions as to what exactly he is trying to do.

To be fair to Liow, he has stressed repeatedly that fresh CC elections are the solution to the prolonged leadership crisis.

He also mooted, on behalf of the MCA Integrity Restoring Task Force (MIRT), amending the party constitution to curb the president's power to appoint members to the presidential council.

Liow explained this would avoid abuse of power with the president making "selective appointments".

It all seems altruistic and magnanimous of Liow to be putting his head on the block for the sake of the party. So it is strange that the call for fresh elections is limited to the CC.

He has said that the problem lies with the CC and nowhere else, explicitly stating that the Youth and Wanita wings should be spared fresh polls.

Where does this leave Liow and the clutch of CC members who have pledged to resign from the committee? Thirteen CC members, who are members of Liow's MIRT faction, have reportedly signed undated resignation letters in their bid to force fresh CC polls.

Of the group, two have little to lose from the upheaval -- Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Wanita chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

Sure, they may lose their CC seats and would have a tough battle against the hugely influential top two, but they still have clout in their wings and no one denies they can rebuild whatever they have lost.

Liow, on the other hand, earned a direct seat on the CC by virtue of his election as a vice-president. Quitting the CC would mean tossing out his party post, his ministerial post -- everything, including the kitchen sink.

Perhaps his intention is to knock out Ong and Dr Chua but conventional wisdom has it that it is going to take a lot more than a kitchen sink to bring down the two.

Faced with such lousy odds, Liow cannot be blamed for having second thoughts about his "crusade". But if he indeed harbours doubts about his direction, he only has one more day to reconsider his options.

Tomorrow is the deadline set by BN deputy chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on a decision on the party's peace plan, as proposed by BN chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Which means it will be Liow's last chance to spell out clearly where he stands.

Liow's dilemma is clear. If he remains steadfast in the fight for what he claims is the survival of democracy in the party, he runs the real risk of ending his political career.

Or he could back down, apologise for wading into the mess and end up as the very thing he did not want to be -- a punching bag.

sipalan@nst.com.my