In combative mood, MCA secretary-general Ting Chew Peh is keeping his options open as he prepares to challenge the deputy presidency on Saturday.

Whether or not he will retire if his bid fails is a card that he is not prepared to reveal, but he is prepared to say this much in an interview with malaysiakini - that former party president Dr Ling Liong Sik has not rallied support behind him, as is widely speculated.

Malaysiakini: The elections are around the corner, how do you feel about the progress of your campaign?

Ting: I have said earlier that I will try my best. I am still trying my best to meet as many delegates as possible. So the first round was to go around all state conventions. It may not be possible for me to meet all the central delegates. Some feel a little bit uneasy about meeting me. But I will try and I can understand (why they are uneasy). So far, in relation to those with whom I have been in touch, the response has been quite good.

You said some of the central delegates were uneasy about meeting you. Why?

I don't know. May be they are not free. It's okay. We are trying to meet them. You see time is running out, so may be it's inconvenient to meet in person. But it's okay. It is not necessary for us to meet face to face. We can communicate through telephone and go through other delegate friends.

Can you identify these central delegates?

No. This is in general.

Candidates, especially challengers, have complained they have less access to central delegates. What do you think?

It's your own initiative. I don't have the privileges of getting the addresses of all the delegates because that is the party's policy. The central committee decided that only names of the delegates are revealed. Nothing other than that. So we have to use our own initiative and connections to find out (the details) from the divisions.

It seems you don't have difficulty over this...

So far... I must say I am thankful to a lot of central delegates. With their co-operation, we obtained a lot of the addresses of the central delegates. At least I could send them my booklet (on my track-record).

Are you happy with the campaign process?

So far I am happy with my own campaign and the party elections, even though it has been sometimes quite difficult for candidates to meet the delegates. Overall it is okay, all the candidates are quite mature and are working within the party constitution.

You mentioned that candidates have difficulty in meeting delegates. Do you think this is a flaw in the election system?

I don't think this is because of the system. This is human nature. Some people may be feeling a bit uneasy to be seen together with so-called challengers. But I think they are still a minority. I don't want to talk much about this.

If you look at it from another angle, this is democracy. If they don't want to meet you, what can you do? So we have to find ways and means to reach the delegates. It doesn't mean that if they don't want to meet you, that is the end of the world. That is always a way to solve certain problems. You have to see what type of keys that you use. You must get a proper key to unlock (doors).

What is your key then?

I can telephone. I can go through delegates to get to other delegates.

What do you think of your chances, after meeting the delegates?

I prefer to leave it to the delegates. But whenever you make the decision, definitely you will have self-confidence. As for chances, (the decision) is best left to the delegates.

What level of confidence do you have then?

I am fairly confident.

The incumbents will have more opportunities to reach out to all delegates...It's normal in all political parties. In Malaysia, the incumbents always will have more resources.

Do you think this will jeorpardise your chances?

I don't think so. I still feel that today's MCA delegates are very wise, experienced and mature politically.

What is your strength in comparison with the incumbent Chan Kong Choy?

I am not used to blowing my own trumpet. I leave it to the delegates. I have been secretary-general for the past 15 years. They know who Ting Chew Peh is. They know other candidates as well. So I leave it to them.

From the process of the campaign to date, how do you rate the state of democracy in MCA?

So far, what can be seen is that MCA is quite democratic. You can choose to go anywhere to meet anyone. But as I said, if they don't want to meet you, it's their problem. At least you are not prevented from going anyway. They would not dare to do it openly. As far as I am concerned, all of them treat me quite well.

Rumour has it that you are contesting because you have the support of former president Dr Ling Liong Sik?

I do not know whether the former president is in the picture or not. He has never said that he supports me. We have not met for a few months now. It's not fair to drag him in as he has already said he will not interfere in the elections. I don't want to speculate. It's not fair to drag him into the picture. About the media reports, you better go and ask him.

What is your plan for the party should you be elected?

I have a track record in the party. It's not important what you are doing now. It is more important what you have done in the past. I won't talk about plans just because of the elections. The delegates might think I am not sincere, and that I just want to get votes.

MCA faces a lot of challenges. We talk about collective leadership. We need to make adjustments to face challenges, for example the so-called phantom membership list. In the 1980s, the party had a big problem because of the membership list.... In 2002, again the phantom voters issue almost divided the party.

This crops up in every party election. A few divisions have brought up this issue again this time. Whoever wins the election must address this problem of defining phantom voters.

Which leader would you prefer to work with?

It's not up to the candidate to decide. We should be working together. I have been in the party for 15 years and as a secretary-general, I have worked with everyone. It's not up to you to choose. This is a mandate given by the party. If you don't want to work, you deprive the delegates' right to choose. We candidates don't have the right to say this.

What are your chances of winning?

I have not thought of being defeated. You will either win or lose. If you win you will be happy and this will be follow ed by a lot of responsibility. But if you lose, it's not the end of the world. Life will go on as usual.

Will you retire?

You can always play a role in other forms. I don't want to talk about retirement. There is always a question mark over the future. Now you are talking about contesting, so why talk about retirement? It's so far away. If I want to retire, I will retire.

Do you think this is the most heated party elections ever?

Not heated, but there are a lot of candidates. Life still goes on, I don't see any heat. It is very calm. Everyone follows rules and regulations very closely. So far, there has been no cheating. As far as I know, everything is in order.

What changes do you expect after the election?

It depends on the outcome of the elections. It is very difficult to talk about it now. When a new committee is formed, we will know the changes.

What is your relationship with Kong Choy?

I don't want to pin-point any details. I have been working well with all members of the central committee including the president and deputy president. As secretary-general you have to work impartially. For example on the Nanyang (take over) issue, I let both sides say what they wanted to say.

What will you do about Nanyang if you are elected?

Wait until I am elected, then we will talk about the plan.