Tee Keat to be the first ever Chinese 'Mentri Besar' of Selangor?

Speculation is swirling on both sides of the political divide that Pandan MP and former MCA president Ong Tee Keat will be made the first Chinese Mentri Besar or chief minister of Selangor, if the Umno-BN coalition manages to retake the state in the 13th general election, widely expected to be held this year.

Whether or not, Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party is serious or is just flying a trial balloon to gauge public reaction remains to be seen, but it is clear that the Umno-BN coalition is quite desperate to win back Selangor. The state is the richest in the country and was lost to the Pakatan Rakyat alliance led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in 2008.

"This talk has been buzzing for a while but no one gave much credence to it because of Umno's Malay-first stance. But Tee Keat's recent appointment as BN division chairman, which Umno itself pushed for, has added weight to the speculation. Of course, the overall Selangor BN chief is still an Umno man, but this is the hottest talk in Selangor BN at the moment," a political source told Malaysia Chronicle.

Controversial proposal

However, the chances of BN retaking Selangor are currently slim. Even so, the sheer news of such an offer is bound to electrify the Malaysian public, especially the Chinese and Malay communities.

Despite an outwardly appearance of multiracial harmony, ethnic groups in Malaysia are deeply divided after 54 years of nation-building due largely to the Umno-BN's insistence on playing communal politics and openly using racial favoritism to garner political power. The Malays forms the largest racial group in the country at around 50 per cent of a 28 million population, and the Chinese, the next at around 28 per cent.

There are many pros and cons to such a proposal, whether Tee Keat decides to accept or not.

If Tee Keat does so, he would firstly have to give up his existing Pandan parliamentary seat - which Umno has been eyeing - and shift to a state seat. The former MCA president would have to really evaluate what are the BN's chances of being able to wrest Selangor.

Pros and cons for Najib

For Umno, although it looks like the state leaders have agreed to such a move by endorsing Tee Keat's appointment as the Pandan BN chief, the across-the-board reaction from the Umno grassroots and its conservative right wing has yet to be seen.

Perhaps, this is why Najib has moved slowly on the idea, choosing to test the waters before making any formal proposal or comment on it.

The advantage for Najib is that he gets to put his man in Pandan, give the Chinese community in Selangor food for thought if the BN is indeed changing for the better and worth a vote in the 13th general election, widely expected to be held this year. Currently, the majority of the Chinese in Selangor are plumbing for the Pakatan.

Najib and his much vaunted but failed 1Malaysia concept will also get a boost, although it is more likely that entire idea will fail due to the inability of the Selangor Malays to accept a Chinese chief minister. Additionally, ultra Malay rights groups like Perkasa can be expected to give Najib a bigger headache that he can cope with.

Tight slap in the face for Soi Lek

As for the MCA, instead of hailing such a move - if true - chances are higher that the mercury will rise a notch due to political envy and jealousy. It is no secret that current MCA president Chua Soi Lek and his son Tee Yong have black-listed Tee Keat, suppressing him and his supporters from making any headway in the party hierarchy.

"I dread to imagine Soi Lek's reaction to such news. It will be a major slap in the face for him if Umno is willing to support Tee Keat as the first-ever Chinese MB of Selangor," said the political observer.

"But I doubt Najib will be able to push the idea. He will give up and deny everything the moment the Umno ultras pressure him. It looks more like an elaborate ploy to help Tee Keat surrender the Pandan parliamentary seat and accept a state assembly nomination instead."

Malaysia Chronicle