opinion The MCA president and Transport minister, Ling Liong Sik likes to project an image of a paternally cool, calm and tranquil leader. For his admirers and supporters, it is a mark of confident statesmanship in sharp contrast to his rather emotionally loquacious Umno counterpart.

However, his detractors have always maintained that Ling's public image reflects a certain degree of cultural inferiority complex and political shrewdness.

There have been times when the Singapore-trained medical doctor and graduate of the Sungai Besi Royal Miltary College (RMC) failed to consistently maintain the cool and calm image.

For example, at the height of the public controversy over the takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press by MCA, the president was so pressurised by the overwhelming Chinese public opinion that he somehow confessed openly that the takeover was meant to be 'strategic political investment'.

Earlier, he and his supporters had claimed that the takeover was only a 'normal business transaction'.

Two months later, Ling has again lost his cool over who, or which faction of MCA, should be responsible for the fighting which broke out at the 38th MCA Youth annual general assembly on August 3.

Seriously affected

According to a news report in the MCA-owned Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday, Ling was quoted as 'reminding' MCA Youth head Ong Tee Keat that he should not 'point fingers' at others before 'really understanding the actual causes of the pandemonium that occurred at the Aug 3 meeting'.

Ling was also quoted as saying that since he himself was not present in the meeting, he could not accuse any person of sparking off the riot, and Ong too 'should be fair to other leaders before he fully understands the causes and situation'. Ling also suggested that 'party problems should best be solved within the party'. Ong, however, has lodged a police report over the incident.

Thus, besides the question of who, or which faction, should be responsible for the pandemonium, another question has surfaced - should the investigation of the causes and the identities of the instigators, as well as actions to be taken, be handled by the MCA Central Committee (CC) or the police?

Ling certainly favours an intra-party investigation and subsequent action not involving the national law-enforcement authority.

From the point of view of rule of law, and the perspective of ordinary Malaysians, the culturally and intellectually confident Ong, by lodging a police report, has done something very right, responsible and commendable because no one, including MCA leaders, members and supporters, are above the law.

If no criminal investigation is conducted and no police action taken against the rioters, not only will the image of MCA and MCA Youth be seriously affected but the credibility and moral authority of the police would come into question.

Factional fault line

However, in real and partisan politics, president Ling might be proven to be more shrewd. Diehard members and supporters of MCA, especially those who are at the grassroots might blame Ong for 'shaming' and 'humiliating' the party as whole by 'washing dirty linen in the public' and 'bringing the police into the house'.

But then, from Ong's perspective, to expect justice and fairness from the Central Committee of the party will be futile because the Central Committee is dominated by Ling's faction in a 4:1 proportion. According to the vote taken by the Central Committee on the acquisition of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press, 32 members voted for Ling's decision, while only eight opposed.

If Ong expects the Central Committee to vote on the disciplinary question along the factional fault line, he himself is not entirely blameless.

Although he was democratically and procedurally right when he summoned the required number of delegates to the MCA Youth meeting to sack two Ling loyalists, namely ex-secretary general Yew Teong Look and ex-deputy chief Loh Seng Kok (who is also Ling's political secretary) but by doing so, he has confirmed the majoritarian principle to the advantage of the Ling-dominated Central Committee.

Who was right or wrong in the Aug 3 Youth meeting would be decided by a 32:8 division in the Central Committee.

Politically, Ling has to finds ways and means to avenge his two young loyalists who were openly humiliated by Ong's majority, as well as to regain his own presidential dignity. It is only natural in factional politics.

Also, it seems that Ling has to assure Yew and Loh that 'justice will be done for them', otherwise Yew and Loh might just decide to file court actions to reclaim what they perceive to be 'justice' and 'dignity'. As individuals and citizens, Yew and Loh certainly have the right to do so. Politically, they also have their own followers and supporters to which they must be accountable and answerable.

While these issues can only be effectively settled at the coming party elections next year, the political and personality clashes between president Ling and Youth chief Ong will continue to dominate MCA intra-party debates, that is, until vice-president Chui Jui Ming formally declares his challenge to president Ling.

JAMES WONG WING ON, chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia, is a former Member of Parliament (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily. He read political science and economics at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While in Sin Chew, he and a team of journalists won the top awards of Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) for 1998 and 1999.