For the overall interest of the Barisan Nasional, it is unwise to overhaul MCA's top leadership with the general election just around the corner and Umno still mired with internal troubles.

Leadership change of the second largest Barisan Nasional component party with 900,000 members nationwide will o­nly create confusion, and disorientation. A change of the top leadership would mean that everyone will have to readjust alliances.

After three years of power struggles, each MCA member would be aligned to o­ne faction or another. Opportunity will be presented for power struggles to occur at all levels of the party - from the central committee down to the state committees, divisions and branches.

I am not sure what our leaders, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would like to see. Would they want a stable and strong MCA to win the crucial Chinese votes to save Umno again? Because at this point, Umno does not seem to have recovered politically.

In the 1999 general election, it was MCA under the able, wise and strong leadership of president Dr Ling Liong Sik that helped to save Umno from the o­nslaught of PAS and Keadilan. The situation has not changed much. Umno still needs MCA helmed by Dr Ling.

Of course, MCA will not be led forever by the same group of long-serving leaders. But any change of leadership can o­nly be conducted after the coming general election. Dr Ling is not a power-crazy leader. He knows when to go when the timing is right.

Young and rising leaders like vice-presidents O­ng Ka Ting and Chan Kong Choy should be patient and responsible enough to not create unnecessary pressures for change. They must also respect party hierarchy and give full support to more experienced leaders like Dr Fong Chan O­nn and Chua Jui Meng.

Hopefully, Dr Mahathir and the deputy PM can exert enough influence to maintain status quo so that the interest of Barisan Nasional is not harmed.