Eileen Kong's letter ('Paper takeover by MCA? Big deal!' May 23), begs some questions:

Why does MCA need to command enough resources especially the media to negotiate with Umno? Isn't MCA being in Barisan Nasional a leverage in itself for consultative decisions with Umno? What on earth is MCA doing in BN when it cannot fight for the Chinese right from within but has to use the newspapers instead?

Even Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reminded MCA not to raise their demands in the papers. Has MCA become so toothless that the party needs to buy newspapers so that their voice can be heard by Umno? Or is the president sleeping through the Cabinet and BN meetings? Or has MCA become so irrelevant that the prime minister has appointed a non-MCA member to be his Chinese affairs adviser?

Oh, yes... before I forget, you mentioned Harakah , Berita Keadilan , Rocket

and Suara . Can I buy these newspapers off the newsstand?