The prime minister, in form, was right in relieving Chua Jui Meng of the health portfolio. After all, this was done at the behest of the president of the MCA, a component party whose wishes must be complied with by the leader of the Barisan Nasional.

However, in substance, the decision cannot be correct since this important service portfolio was given to a virgin member of Parliament who has yet to make his maiden speech in that august house. Raw ambition does not make a a good minister. Capability does. And raw ambition with unproven capability should never be accorded such an onerous task.

My question on this important matter is: Has it become the policy of the MCA to abuse its right of consultation with the Umno president?

To my mind, the MCA president, young and thoroughly inexperienced, not only does not know what he is doing but worse, he has been derelict in his duty to the nation in flippantly advising the prime minister toward such a dire course of action.

I hope that Malaysians who rely on our public health services will not face any ugly consequences that this advice of the MCA will bring in its wake.

I have read that the mad Emperor, Caligula, made his horse a consul. But I never dreamt that I would live to see the day when a former MCA president could make his own man a puppet president, thereby having a hand in ensuring that ill-considered advice will be rendered to the top executive of my country.