Cabinet reshuffle on the cards?
Yong Kai PingPublished: Jan 15, 2010 9:13 AM | Updated: Jan 15, 2010 9:34 AM
The talk of a possible cabinet reshuffle is gaining ground among MCA politicians as the Ong Tee Keat and Dr Chua Soi Lek alliance eyes fresh polls in March to solve the protracted power struggle.
News of a cabinet reshuffle is in the air again, this time prompted by the impending MCA fresh polls in March.
The talk of a possible cabinet reshuffle is gaining ground among MCA politicians as the Ong Tee Keat and Dr Chua Soi Lek alliance eyes fresh polls in March to solve the protracted power struggle.
MCA number two Chua has more than once argued for a March date for the polls, after the Chinese New Year celebration, unlike the Liow Tiong Lai faction which was insistent on this month.
Liow's faction accused Ong and Chua of applying delaying tactics to buy time to woo delegates.
Since Liow's faction could only gather 13 central committee members to resign, short of the 21 needed to call for immediate fresh polls, party polls in March seems to be the only alternative.
Chua taking on Liow?
After the polls, it is inevitable that those cabinet posts held by MCA will be filled by the winners.
Chua is widely expected to take on Liow for the number one post as Ong is rumoured not desiring to defend his presidency.
A fierce fight is looming between the Ong-Chua alliance and the Liow faction, with the latter said to have the backing of former president Ong Ka Ting.
Judging by the close results in the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held last October, the fresh elections may turn out to be one of the closest fights in party history as the top six posts of president, deputy, and four vice-presidents have no clear favourites.
Thus MCA, which currently holds four ministerial posts and six deputy minister posts may see a change if the incumbents fall in the contest.
The cabinet reshuffle talk is said to have prompted some ministers to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, deciding not to fill up some staff vacancies, especially those who left last December, until the picture becomes clearer in March.
Some MCA sources also stated that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's patience is wearing thin, and the party crisis resolved once and by March.
Khairy's last chance?
On the other hand, the cabinet reshuffle is said to be the last chance for Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to be included into the power circle before the next general election, widely expected to be held in 2011.
Khairy (below) was left out when Najib took over in April while the man he defeated for the Youth chief post, Mukhriz Mahathir, was given the international trade and industries deputy minister's post.
Whereas Khairy's deputy Razali Ismail holds the post of deputy sports minister.
The internet sphere is abuzz with talk of Khairy's possible return by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's supporters.
Political analysts have opined that Khairy's inclusion may be a subtle move by Najib to blunt the Mahathir's influence.
The latter seems to be taking a more hawkish position in influencing the government's position thus throwing up more hurdles for Najib to overcome in his bid to capture the middle ground lost to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
He has spent considerable resources and time to nurture his '1Malaysia' slogan in reaching out to the urban constituency and non-bumiputera voters.
Why rock the boat?
However, Najib's loyalists appear to scoff at the cabinet reshuffle rumour.
They believe that the BN government under Najib has been gaining ground and it has been smooth sailing except for encountering one or two storms like the Allah controversy.
Slowly but surely, they believe that the 1Malaysia campaign and government transformation programme will take root and produce results.
"So why rock the boat if things are good now? There is no promise that change will bring better results. There may be some big storm but by sticking to our course we will scrape through."
MCA number two Chua has more than once argued for a March date for the polls, after the Chinese New Year celebration, unlike the Liow Tiong Lai faction which was insistent on this month.
Liow's faction accused Ong and Chua of applying delaying tactics to buy time to woo delegates.Since Liow's faction could only gather 13 central committee members to resign, short of the 21 needed to call for immediate fresh polls, party polls in March seems to be the only alternative.
Chua taking on Liow?
After the polls, it is inevitable that those cabinet posts held by MCA will be filled by the winners.
Chua is widely expected to take on Liow for the number one post as Ong is rumoured not desiring to defend his presidency.
A fierce fight is looming between the Ong-Chua alliance and the Liow faction, with the latter said to have the backing of former president Ong Ka Ting. Judging by the close results in the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held last October, the fresh elections may turn out to be one of the closest fights in party history as the top six posts of president, deputy, and four vice-presidents have no clear favourites.
Thus MCA, which currently holds four ministerial posts and six deputy minister posts may see a change if the incumbents fall in the contest.
The cabinet reshuffle talk is said to have prompted some ministers to adopt a wait-and-see attitude, deciding not to fill up some staff vacancies, especially those who left last December, until the picture becomes clearer in March.
Some MCA sources also stated that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's patience is wearing thin, and the party crisis resolved once and by March.
Khairy's last chance?
On the other hand, the cabinet reshuffle is said to be the last chance for Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to be included into the power circle before the next general election, widely expected to be held in 2011.
Khairy (below) was left out when Najib took over in April while the man he defeated for the Youth chief post, Mukhriz Mahathir, was given the international trade and industries deputy minister's post.
Whereas Khairy's deputy Razali Ismail holds the post of deputy sports minister. The internet sphere is abuzz with talk of Khairy's possible return by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's supporters.
Political analysts have opined that Khairy's inclusion may be a subtle move by Najib to blunt the Mahathir's influence.
The latter seems to be taking a more hawkish position in influencing the government's position thus throwing up more hurdles for Najib to overcome in his bid to capture the middle ground lost to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
He has spent considerable resources and time to nurture his '1Malaysia' slogan in reaching out to the urban constituency and non-bumiputera voters.
Why rock the boat?
However, Najib's loyalists appear to scoff at the cabinet reshuffle rumour.
They believe that the BN government under Najib has been gaining ground and it has been smooth sailing except for encountering one or two storms like the Allah controversy.
Slowly but surely, they believe that the 1Malaysia campaign and government transformation programme will take root and produce results.
"So why rock the boat if things are good now? There is no promise that change will bring better results. There may be some big storm but by sticking to our course we will scrape through."
View Comments0