In the corridors of power in Putrajaya, the thinking among the senior Umno leadership is leaning towards the conclusion that Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is finished politically.
Despite public proclamations of support, The Malaysian Insider understands the top Umno leadership is of the opinion Ong is no longer of any use to Umno or Barisan Nasional (BN).
It is also understood that while many in Umno feel Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is a much more capable leader, he does not provide a long term solution to the political crisis in MCA and BN.
[Ong’s tenure as MCA president looks like it will be a shortlived one. — Picture by Choo Choy May ] As Ong and Dr Chua continue to slug it out for control of MCA, it has also become apparent that the Chinese community is viewing the tussle with indifference or, at most, as a sideshow.
The beleaguered Ong is currently under pressure from two fronts, largely due to his own doing.
By sacking Dr Chua, he has galvanised a disparate group of veteran and current leaders behind his chief rival.
Supporters of Dr Chua include those from rival camps associated with former presidents Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.
Ong’s supporters have also helped paint their leader into a corner, by touting him to party grassroots as the only man capable of standing up to Umno.
In MCA, the second biggest party in BN, Umno is being portrayed by Ong’s supporters as a bully, while Ong is being portrayed as the great hero standing up for the Chinese community.
Such a message is being delivered through blogs linked to Ong and by his supporters trying to convince party members to back him.
But his campaign has been hit by heavy blows to his own credibility and carefully-crafted image of being a lone reformer.
The accusation by Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, the BN backbenchers chief who remains close to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, that Ong took a RM10 million cash donation from him last year has dominated the Chinese-language newspapers.
Ong’s admission that he took free rides on private jets belonging to Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), a company controlled by Tiong, have also suggested impropriety on his part.
The MCA president’s attempt to push himself as the man who is cleaning up PKFZ is also not cutting no ice with Najib and those in Umno.
This is because PKFZ continues to be a major embarrassment for the BN administration, and the exposure so far is not likely to gain the ruling coalition any extra votes.
MCA’s lack of influence with the Chinese community was also noted by Najib and Umno.
During the recent Permatang Pasir by-election in Penang, MCA could not deliver the Chinese votes.
Its support is at an all-time low, with the DAP and even PKR and PAS in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) the main beneficiaries.
But even if Dr Chua manages to dislodge Ong as MCA president, the situation is not likely to change.
Dr Chua remains tainted by his own sex scandal, which was used by Ong as an excuse to sack him as deputy president.
The next echelon of leaders — led by Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Wee Ka Siong — are still relatively green and do not command much support and influence in the party and among the Chinese.
This has convinced some in Umno that the BN lynchpin will still have to largely go it alone to try to win back the votes lost to the PR coalition
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So the cleaning up begins, trying to sweep PKFZ under the rug. That's typical BN politics, the moment some dirt is exposed, instead of going after someone who is doing the dirty job, the one who exposes it gets axed.
Again we "rakyat" feel cheated. Promises after promises of transparency and good governance are just lip services that we are stupid enough to buy. We always hear the thunder but rain never come. Who is to blame here? We the "rakyat" are actually. We were stupid enough to vote BN into power, knowing that the same thing will happen again and again.
Look what they have given us. The new MACC that replaces ACA, which is supposed to be on par with Hong Kong's ICAC, but the only similarity we know is probably the one A and the two C's. Even when the culprits were charged, our judges let them go anyway. Then to curb crime, they bring back a police chief whose track record is proved to be well below par. Now with a slim hope of exposing PKFZ scandal, but that too is slowly being shut down by trying to oust OTK.
It is time for us "rakyat" to wake up now, we actually have the power in our hands. Don't want to see the same thing again? Let's do the right thing in the next election. Maybe someone else can do a better job at running this beautiful country. We must give them a chance.
Those corrupted seniors in MCA are powerful and would go all out to finish off Tee Keat so that they can save their own skin and continue to enjoy their illegal wealth in their retirement. If Tee Keat survives and reveals their corrupt practices, they will be brought to justice. From what I can see, Tee Keat is indeed in dangerous position. The government under BN is pro-corruption and the wrong doers always prevail.
Actually UMNO does not see the solution which is staring in the face all the time. Just disband all the component parties of BN except UMNO. Rename UMNO -UNITED MALAYSIAN NATIONAL ORGANISATION and absorb all and sundry in BN as as members of UMNO. Then see the winds of change come. But only the intelligent people will see this as a solution. The narrow minded racists will still vote to keep the racially segregated parties and work their way to the end!
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