Quo vadis, Liow Tiong Lai

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 12:35

In life, everyone has challenges, no one is exempt. It does no good to sit around complaining and whining.

In many instances we can't control what happen to us, but we can control our reactions to what happens to us. We can stay down for the count and be carried out of the ring or we can pull ourselves back to our feet.

Seemingly adversity causes some men to break. Some who encounter opposition often look externally for causes or blame. As they forget the best way to make progress and initiate change is to first look inside – to start with yourself.

Leo Tolystoy once stated:- 'Everybody thinks of changing humanity and nobody think of changing himself.'

There lies the problem of Liow Tiong Lai's faction. Right now, the Liow faction seems to have only one guiding principle:-

"Everything Ong Tee Keat does is wrong, even if it's something they believe in. One prominent example is the unprecedented and proactive effort to provide financial assistance to all MCA divisions to fund their party's activities. The Liow faction has aggressively attacked and subject to scorn this beneficial effort. Facts and reasons given by the MCA president are thrown overboard.

They can no longer engage in a civil conversation with the 13 renegades over things that truly matter. Liow's faction have lost the capacity to solve big challenges."

The No 13 is unlucky to some. These 13 CC members are in a quandry. They have been unable to gather another eight CC members to meet the MCA constitutional required number of 21 to call for an EGM to have fresh elections.

It is acknowledged that even if the EGM is requisitioned, the elected CC members will only serve the remaining unexpired term up to October, 2011.

Ong Tee Keat has internalized that if the MCA leadership asserts the prerogatives available to them they would have lost the bureaucratic battle. That is why he and his deputy Dr. Chua Soi Lek have been reaching out to the grassroots, meeting, talking and listening to build relationships and to find more common grounds.

These proactive, agile and responsive exercise is building trust between leaders and those on the margins. It has given greater appreciation of the other's point of view. And this has gain tremendous support from Liow's supporters who are realistic enough to recognize that MCA must move on.

The Ong-Chua leadership is now presenting an affirmative agenda – not a reactive one. This augurs well for unity for MCA as the 13th General Election looms on the horizon.

Ong Tee Keat's pursuit to investigate the PKFZ scandal was initially subjected to much controversy. But it is now an issue that all Malaysians are solidly behind his efforts.

And we have to believe in the assumption, obviously, that whatever Ong Tee Keat is conducting, he wants to end it – to provide the impetus that the Barisan Nasional Government is determined to stop corruption and abuse at high places.

As for Liow Tiong Lai, the MCA President has said, his door is always open. We acknowledge that Liow has the heart to make a difference in our community and nation in doing the right thing.

He is fully aware that his work and his deeds we speak louder than his own voice.

As inconsequential as he may think it is, the decisions he makes today may it fact alter not only his position as vice-president but also the face of MCA. He has set the stage for what he wished to be remembered.

My humble view is, he should heed the MCA president's call to work together for the people, the community and nation. That is a compelling and powerful call for the new decade.

Ong Tee Keat needs all hands on the deck. Liow should not let Ong walk alone. Let bygones be bygones. Put your shoulders to the wheel together with the president and the deputy president to move MCA forward to face the 13th General Elections.

"Birds sing after a storm, why shouldn't we in MCA"

RONNIE TAN

Kuala Lumpur