Time bomb ticking in Selangor MCA

There is disenchantment in the state because president Chua seems to be marginalising Lim Siang Chai and those close to him.

PETALING JAYA: Several months ago, when we first heard rumours about a falling out between MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek and the party’s Selangor chief, Lim Siang Chai, many rank-and-file members shrugged the matter off as a tiff over trivial issues.

But if you smell smoke, something must be burning somewhere. Sure enough, in August, we heard the crackle of the fire when Chua publicly expressed concern that the leadership of Selangor MCA was not performing up to the expectations of certain quarters in power.

It seemed that some MCA leaders in Selangor were too lethargic and not keeping up with the hard work that Umno was putting in to recapture the state from Pakatan Rakyat. No one within earshot of Chua’s grumbling doubted that he was questioning Lim’s competence as the party’s chairman in Selangor.

Still, many hoped it would turn out to be an inconsequential flame that would eventually burn itself out. This was despite clear signals that patience was running thin in Umno circles.

A party insider recalled his initial reaction: “Despite reports from reliable sources and some claims that Chua was giving the cold shoulder to certain leaders close to the Selangor chairman, we thought it was better to remain silent since it was being speculated that the general election was near.

“But when certain leaders from the state approached party headquarters for constituency funding and they were largely ignored, suspicions were raised that partisanship could be the reason.”

In recent weeks, accusations about Chua practising favouritism have become increasingly frequent. Some are saying that he is deliberately marginalising certain party leaders in Selangor in order to consolidate his own power base. Certainly, those in Lim’s camp are raising their eyebrows.

Deepening fears

This fallout between the party president and the Selangor chief has deepened fears among Umno leaders that they might not be able to rely on MCA to deliver the voting support Barisan Nasional needs in Selangor. A clear indication of this is the increasingly frequent visits Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been making to the state.

Since the 2008 election, when MCA suffered major losses in Selangor, party leaders have been focussing their work towards recapturing voting support from the Chinese community. However, according to pundits, much of their effort has been futile. Indeed, there is some legitimacy to the claim by BN’s detractors that Umno’s three main allies—MCA, MIC and Gerakan—are all distracted by a desperate struggle for their own political survival.

Within MCA, Chua’s critics are saying that he has the additional burden of ensuring his own political survival.

A party veteran, who declined to have his name mentioned, said: “Dr Chua could be harbouring the hidden agenda of strengthening his own position since he is unsure of being able to contest in the general election. After all, without a seat in Parliament, he would not get a government posting.”

Some say he may be eyeing a parliamentary seat in Selangor for himself.

A gossip making the rounds is that Chua has turned down Lim’s request to contest for the Selayang parliamentary seat in the coming election. An aide of the Selangor chairman said Chua told him to choose instead between the Pandan seat in the state and the Bandar Tun Razak seat in the Federal Territory. Lim declined to comment when approached to substantiate this claim.

Lim’s supporters say there is an undercurrent of disenchantment in MCA Selangor, caused not only by disagreements over seat choices, but also inadequate funding from party headquarters, favouritism, factionalism and marginalisation of certain state leaders not in the good books of the party president. They say the state machinery is demoralised.

The party veteran we quoted earlier also said it might even be possible that Chua was trying to suppress Lim’s influence. “After all,” he said, “the only leader with the political weight to challenge him is Lim.”

Some top party leaders deny reports of negative developments in Selangor MCA, but pundits are not ready to brush aside the notion that a time bomb is ticking in the state and might explode in Umno’s face.

But others express confidence that the party’s rank and file would put their resources and efforts together to face the coming general election.

“Let us face the elections first before settling old political scores,” a party leader in Selangor said.