Less than a year since a peace plan brokered by ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad salvaged MCA unity, new fault lines seem to be emerging in the party from aftershocks caused by the way it has handled the recent cabinet and government appointments.

Unlike other Barisan Nasional component parties which retained most of its key leaders, MCA's line-up saw two senior party leaders - a minister and a deputy minister - dropped unceremoniously while a new face was propelled straight to a ministership from a state exco position.

The most prominent development which could give rise to tensions has been said to be the substitution of party vice-president Chua Jui Meng (photo) by Johor state chief Dr Chua Soi Lek at the Health Ministry.

Jui Meng's exclusion may have raised comments but the move was unsurprising given that speculation was already rife prior to the elections that he and another vice-president Dr Fong Chan Onn may be dropped from the BN candidate list altogether.

Whilst Fong has survived unscathed by being retained as the human resources minister, Jui Meng's political career has clearly come to an early end.

Jui Meng, an active player during the MCA Team A/Team B split, has shown overt ambitions for the party top leadership as compared to Fong's sedateness.

However, party observers said trouble from this quarter would have a limited effect on the party as Jui Meng has fairly weak grassroots support.

"It was already going around that he may be dropped. There is no way he can make it (to the top leadership)," said the observer.

Kedah slights

Another potentially divisive move has been the unexpected exclusion of former Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung from the new cabinet.

Chor, MCA Perlis chief and fourth term Alor Setar MP, has served two cabinet terms, first as Transport Ministry parliamentary secretary before being promoted to the deputy home minister.

In a comment to the New Straits Times, Chor said he had rejected a deputy minister post offered to him for 'political reasons.' The NST report also quoted sources as saying that his withdrawal was due to the fact that he was not recommended for a ministerial post - the one to be vacated by Jui Meng.

While Chor appears to have accepted the outcome, his sudden removal has already given rise to dissenting voices from the party northern divisions in Perlis and Kedah, which are left with no cabinet representative despite contesting and winning two seats.

This makes the Perlis/Kedah MCA the only unrepresented party division in the cabinet.

In a report yesterday, The Star quoted Perlis deputy chief Loh Yoon Foo as saying that Chor's exclusion had taken aback Perlis MCA and its grassroots, while state Wanita chief Oui Ah Lan called the move 'a shocking one.'

The step has been perceived to be the second major slight suffered by Kedah MCA in recent weeks. Earlier, Kedah state chief Beh Heng Seong was pointedly overlooked to contest the elections at the federal level despite having served as state assemblyperson for the past three terms.

He was instead retained at the Gurun state constituency.

Ling's protege

However, by far the most talked about movement has been that of the meteoric rise of Soi Lek to the federal level.

Although he had been tipped as the most likely Johor leader to be elevated to replace Jui Meng, few had expected that he would be given a ministerial portfolio right during his first term in the cabinet.

"From the last cabinet, there are several others who could have been appointed a minister. It should not have come to Soi Lek so soon," said a party observer.

While this remained the prevalent view, a highly-placed government source said the move to elevate Soi Lek was not surprising given his seniority within the party.

"If you go down MCA's hierarchy, there is no one else. Soi Lek had been groomed by former MCA president Ling Liong Sik. He had shored up support for Ling during the Team A/Team B split," said the source.

Furthermore, as Johor chief, Soi Lek is among the most influential among party leaders, easily eclipsing Jui Meng or Chor.

"Chor only seems more senior because of his federal post. In the party, he is nothing. Soi Lek is the Johor chief while Chor is deputy head of Kedah," the source added.

Johor is MCA's largest state division with eight parliamentary representatives, followed by Selangor (seven MPs) and Perak (five MPs).

Members jostling

In another development, Soi Lek could seem to be a catalyst for trouble on another front after reports emerged that he may be next in line to replace MCA secretary-general Ting Chew Peh.

Ting has already drawn his battle lines by dismissing speculation that he would step down to make way for Soi Lek.

"My terms of reference are to serve until the party elections next year and I want to continue until then," said press reports quoting him. He added that the party's image could be affected by members jostling for posts.

Ting, the MP for Gopeng, was appointed party secretary-general by Ling. He had previously indicated that he had no interest in holding a cabinet post.

In another twist, a source has said that current MCA president Ong Ka Ting had intended the secretary-general's post for his brother Ka Chuan (right) although this has been dashed by the latter's failure to capture the Batu Gajah parliamentary seat from the DAP incumbent Fong Po Kuan.

Ka Chuan, a popular and influential Perak leader, was swept aside by Fong with a majority of almost 8,000 votes.

Cabinet allocations are sensitive affairs for the MCA particularly since the last major split in the party had been triggered off by a dispute between Ling and his deputy Lim Ah Lek over the appointments of their respective candidates.

The rift deepened into a full blown party feud which culminated in the resignation of both Ling and Lim in May last year. As a condition of an ensuing peace pact, Ong Ka Ting (Ling's protege) was appointed party president while Chan Kong Choy (Lim's protege) was appointed deputy president.