NST online: MCA president Ong Tee Keat has met with Prime Minister Najib Razak regarding developments in the party. The meeting took place yesterday (Thursday) morning.
Ong, speaking to the NST, refused to reveal what was discussed with Najib.
“Like any other day when I meet the prime minister who is also the BN chief, I take the opportunity to keep him updated on partisan developments.
“This morning is no exception and we managed to have a short discussion on party matters,” he said, while thanking Najib for his advice and concern.
He said the meeting was privy to only both of them and not meant for public consumption.
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Original posting.
Looks like the Prime Minister has got little choice but to intervene. Gotta help save the MCA before it's too late.
Najib feels that the crisis in the BN's second largest component party is worsening.
(I did a posting on this HERE)
He would try to meet them before Nov 28.
Neither, MCA president Ong Tee Keat, Dr Chua Soi Lek, nor Liow Tiong Lai seems to be able to find a solution.
In their own way, they tried -- Ong and Dr Chua on one side with the Great Unity Plan, and Liow, the other, with all sorts of manouvres too.
But, whatever they did, was further splitting the party.
It is red alert in the MCA.
Here's from the NST online report
The Prime Minister said that the failure of MCA leaders to find a solution to the impasse could result in the party unable to win the trust and confidence of the Chinese community and the people as a whole.
"I will find time to talk to them and will see if there is a common ground; we will take it from there," he said after opening the 2009 International Paralympic Committee General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur today.
To a question, Najib who is BN chairman, said he would meet the factions probably separately and would try to do so before Nov 28.
Groups aligned to vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai are set to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on that date to push for a fresh party election.
Najib said there were many groups expressing disappointment over the turn of events in the MCA.
"Certainly if we want to find a formula for unity, our action should reflect that desire. It seems that what is happening in the MCA so far, no longer inspires confidence among those outside the party, including among BN component members," he said.
The prime minister also said that the crisis in the MCA would affect the BN, especially the effort to restore the coalition's image in the eyes of the people.
"Yes, it is going to hamper our effort to revive the position of BN in the eyes of the people. The people now see Umno as being very stable and has gone through the process of reforming itself and presenting a new image to the rakyat.
"We hope that other parties will come together and reflect the desire to put together a new image for the BN," he said.
In a latest twist to the crisis, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat yesterday removed nine leaders aligned to Liow from the Presidential Council, including Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Wanita chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.
Meanwhile, check out Ong at NST Live which he held this afternoon.
Meanwhile, newly-appointed MCA presidential council member - lawyer-blogger and former Pahang wakil rakyat Ti Lian Ker said that the reshuffle was "administrative in nature".
He remarked:
"Words uttered to the effect of “chop, slash and burn” are a distortion of reality.
The dramatics of breaking down in public is a political drama. I can testify in public that the personalities who cried in public were happily laughing away during the CC meeting. It therefore, catches me by surprise that MCA leaders wept tears in front of the cameras yesterday."
Ti posted about this development in his blog "Thinking Aloud" .
In reference to the PM's plan to meet the MCA leaders, he said:
"I hope that there will not be a political godfather culture within the party where rebellious quarters undermine the party agenda purely because they have the comfort of the ears of their political godfather outside the party.
The perception of external intervention into internal party matters which is only administrative of nature will further damage the party’s dignity or independence. When other BN component parties have internal bickering, we don’t see their leaders crying to component parties to interfere."
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For a race of people who founded civilisation thousand of years ago - there must be a solution to any problems.
ReplyDeleteOnly selfishness and the greed to cling to power - defeat all purposes.
Well then - swing the big sledgehammer if you must. Those who wield power and can restore the peace must rid off those petty less organised dissents. It isn't nice nor decent but do you want to get the job done ? How did Mao did it ? What did Sun Tzu recommends ?
Get it done with - quickly, cleanly.
Uranus
It all boils down to greedy for power
ReplyDeleteNuraina:
ReplyDeleteHow would you have liked if MCA had interfered or intervened in UMNO's business when they had the Team A and Team B split back in 1987 between Ku Li and Mahathir?
If DAP interfered in the politics of PAS by offering to "help" them resolve their pro-Erdogan and pro-Ulama faction issues, how would that sound?
Ridiculously outrageous, isn't it?
So what's with your obsession with having UMNO intervene into MCA's internal problem, even if UMNO considers it a Barisan Nasional issue?
Couldn't have MCA intervened in UMNO's affairs on the same grounds too?
So don't be so chauvinistic, please.
dr wan nawawi,
ReplyDeletewell, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. but the umno problem was resolved.
if DAP were to offer to help Pas, good. go ahead.
pity, you have a skewered view of my suggestion.
but, hey...thank you for dropping by. appreciate it.
I'm disappointed Najib indicated he'd move in and help solve the MCA impasse. For a party that big, let the warring factions fight it out to the bitter end. Power values are primodial. Unnatural intervention would remove the symptom, not it's cause. UMNO did it till it was deregistered by fiat. But UMNO Baru came back all the stronger. Likewise, let MCA take the full course of its antibiotics. Anticlimaxes disappoint.
ReplyDeletelook. i'm not advocating interference per se.
ReplyDeletethere are compelling reasons for the BN chairman (and Najib is not just another Umno leader), to be concerned about the crisis.
Ling Liong Sik and his predecessors turned to Dr M during the MCA crisis years ago. and rightly so, becos Dr M was BN chairman.
it's not about you interfering in my affairs. it's a partner offering to help work out a solution, because the situation warrants it. and not just a partner.
hey, "everyone" (read: BN component parties and MCA members)is concerned. i'm not a cardholder of any political party. and i have no vested interest in this.
ok, so i maybe wrong. but this is just a point of view.
Dear Nuraina,
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to be a cardholder in a party and still be a supporter of a party or a coalition of parties.
For example, I'm not a cardholder of any political party but I am definitely pro-PAS and pro-Pakatan.
Similarly, you could hold pro-BN sympathies. We readers just don't know.
So the "I'm not a member/cardholder of any party" statement to vouch for neutrality just doesn't cut it.
wan nawawi,
ReplyDeletewhatever makes you happy.
and, frankly, you have no idea what and who i am.
but, good that you seem to think you know me from what i have written.
cheers!
actually this warring factions originated since ling liong sik's time oledi.
ReplyDeletehowever, there was enough bizness to go around, to keep the teams intact. at that time.
like panadol, fixing fever symptoms.
now, that economic not so good, not enough biznes to pass around, not enough lollies to keep fighting children shut up and play with each other, then, the true colours emerged lah.
fundamental must be right, to stay upright.
how does dap or pap solve this kind of problem? father, pass baton to son, and to grandson, and so on and so forth.
if lim kit siang did not nurture and develop guan eng; or karpal and gobinder, dap would be in the same turmoil and predicament as mca.
chinese is famous, for having severe difficulty, to unite.
special mechanisms need to be installed, as proven by successful chinese emperors, emperesses, mao tze tung and clans, lee kuan yew, etc etc.
mca no longer has the support of chinese mass population. all gone to dap oledi lah