No place for recalcitrant leaders

Joshua Teng

Tuesday, 09 February 2010 17:14

OPINION When signs of calm waters in MCA seem to be in sight, there appears to be another round of attempt to trigger off unrest and chaos in the party again.

Certain leaders may not appreciate if the dust has settled down and prefer to kick up a sandstorm of sorts instead of respecting the wishes of the majority who want to enjoy the peace and quiet in the party.

There are also leaders who like to sulk and repeatedly sing the same tune to call for fresh party elections, even though the next party polls is just next year.

The latest is an immature call made by the MCA Integrity Restoring Taskforce (MIRT) to boycott party functions and events organised by the current leadership led by party president Ong Tee Keat until fresh party polls is held.

On Feb 2, MCA vice-president Liow Tiong Lai who heads the MIRT called for a boycott on all party functions and events until the party leadership comes up with a timetable on the party elections.

Liow has crossed the line

To quote him: "We will call off the boycott immediately if only there is a fresh election."

Anyone reading such a statement will surely sense an element of threat and perceive the call as an act of sabotaging party activities, a party central delegate noted.

The delegate said Liow had crossed the line this time. Instead of initiating efforts to close ranks and consolidating the party, he had instead embarked on a quest to turn the party topsy-turvy.

Liow should not drag the party down by rallying a boycott on party activities to satisfy his own selfish agenda.

"A leader who wants to see the failure of his own party's activities is not worthy of support from the ranks," the delegate said.

"As a delegate, we do not condone acts of boycotting party activities or events which tantamount to a sabotage," he said.

Liow's action of calling for a boycott smacks of arrogance which could undermine the party, can be construed as a threat to the leadership and is an act of sabotage. The delegate said these factors were enough to refer Liow to the disciplinary committee.

Another delegate said it was most amusing that Liow after announcing a boycott on party activities almost a week ago had suddenly realised that he had not used the word "boycott" and issued a denial that he did not utter those words.

Why then, the delegate pointed out that Liow's very own website featured a Bernama story with the heading "Boycott will not be reviewed, Says Liow".

The report on his website also quoted Liow as saying that the boycott, which include the upcoming MCA Chinese New Year Open House, would serve as a message to the party leadership that the situation was serious and warranted immediate action.

The delegate said Liow owes the members an explanation for his inconsistencies in his statement.

"Leaders with integrity should be truthful, sincere and consistent in whatever they do. They should not say one thing and contradict themselves later," he said.

Within one week, Liow had also changed his stand by saying that he would now attend party activities so long as it is for the good of the party and the events are not organised by the two top leaders.

The delegate said the change in stand was probably not by choice but because Liow had failed to garner enough support to boycott party activities and events.

"Liow had also received a barrage of criticisms from party leaders and grassroots, a backlash from his announcement which did not go down well with the masses," he said.

He said most party members find Liow's action similar to steering a ship which already has a hole in its hull towards a collision course with a boulder.

"Instead of rallying to get everyone to help plug the hole to prevent the ship from sinking, Liow appears to be sinking the ship deliberately to drag everyone down," he said.

The delegate said Liow and his cronies had been persistently pushing for fresh elections now for fear that direct elections would be introduced eventually.

They are afraid that they would not be able to muster enough support to woo about 30,000 central delegates instead of the current 2,400 delegates if direct elections are held.

The 13-member MIRT task force which includes Youth chief Wee Ka Siong and Wanita Chief Chew Mei Fun should clearly state their stand whether they endorse the move to boycott party activities.

By keeping mum, they are obviously in the same boat as Liow.

Stop the infighting

And since Liow appears to be suffering from some form of lapse in memory based on his inconsistent boycott statement, he should be reminded of what he had said regarding the call for fresh polls.

When asked in December last year what happens if the 21 resignations required to trigger a fresh election could not be fulfilled by the Dec 25 deadline, Liow had said that the 13 resignations who submitted their undated letters would be considered invalid.

Then what the heck is Liow doing now! He should come to his senses and accept and respect the decision that no more central committee members would be resigning.

But since he is so obsessed with holding elections, he should perhaps step down as Health Minister and seek a job in the Election Commission.

If not, he should stop the infighting, get on with the reform agenda of the party, accept the olive branch extended by party president Ong Tee Keat and get on with work.

There is no place for recalcitrant leaders.