Will Koon Swan make a political comeback: TROUBLE FOR SOI LEK!

WELL! Well! Well! It’s indeed a rare embarrassment and dent to Singapore’s super efficient administration. At least, till now that is, the island republic’s government had not behaved like Malaysia’s monkey ways – running amok to deny and condemn an admission of mistake by one of its former top prosecutor.

Do you think any top official in Malaysia will admit any mistake? To ask for fair treatment and justice is already too much to ask in Malaysia.

However, the expose is still too early for response and comments, as I believe it is just the tip of the iceberg. Tan Koon Swan’s cautious response or non-response is telling, politically.

San Choon quit in frustration

For those who remember MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association) and Malaysian politics, the country’s second largest ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition party was plunged into a leadership crisis after its then president Lee San Choon quit politics.

Lee is remembered for his gutsy political move to stand in the Opposition DAP stronghold - Seremban in the state of Negri Sembilan - in the April 22, 1982, general election against DAP adviser Dr Chen Man Hin. Lee won with a narrow 845-vote majority in a seat which MCA then had never won in previous national polls.

Many reasons had been given for Lee’s decision to take on the DAP, though Lee had actually accepted the then DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang’s challenge to contest in a Chinese majority seat.

Yes! The “great” Lim Kit Siang surprisingly did not keep his word to contest in Seremban.

However, Lee’s acceptance was a frustrated political manoeuvre to boost MCA’s deteriorating image as a party that stood for the rights of the Chinese.

Lee’s victory should have served to show that the MCA is still a party backed by the Chinese community. Lee’s gambit was that his electoral victory would then put him in a firmer stead in negotiations with Umno - the BN’s dominating force - on outstanding Chinese issues and concerns, especially on education, employment and economic opportunities.

However, that was not to be as Umno did not see it that way and continued to treat MCA with utter disdain. Lee then quit in frustration.

Yee Pan & Hon Kam were Umno's choice

It sparked a bitter and splitting leadership struggle, first between businessman Tan and acting president Neo Yee Pan. Neo, more an academician than a politician, was Umno’s choice but he had to be abandoned when he made too many blunders and mistakes in the leadership crisis, including the sacking of 14 senior party central leaders.

That split the MCA into two entities, one led by Tan and the other by Mak Hon Kam who was Umno’s choice after Neo had to be sacrificed. Umno stepped in and the then Umno deputy president, Ghaffar Baba, was the acting MCA president to ensure there were no two MCAs and fair elections were held.

Tan emerged the winner in the party presidential election, much to the chagrin of Umno. Umno was then led by Mahathir Mohamed, a man with an ego bigger than this planet.

Dr M's connivance

It was the beginning of an end to Tan’s political career.

It is said that Tan, after serving his jail sentence, had remarked to friends that his greatest fear in Malaysia is Dr M (Mahathir), no one else. That speaks volume of what type of leader is Dr M as a conniving politician.

Dr M is not the Umno president and prime minister today, but somehow he wields unbelievable political power.

As an ordinary Umno member, he is the adviser of the racist Perkasa (a Malay right wing masquerading as a non-governmental organisation) that champions for Malay supremacy by spewing highly seditious racial and religious slurs to disunite multi-race and multi-religious Malaysians.

It also resorts to violence but the now infamous Umno police (so dubbed by Malaysians for its selective persecution of Malaysians based on Umno’s interests) also don’t have the will to take action against Perkasa.

The timing of this expose is also suspicious, coming so close to Malaysia’s 13th General Election which must be held latest next June.

In the days, weeks and months to come, Malaysians may perhaps see Tan making a political comeback and this will surely spell trouble for the morally-tainted MCA president Chua Soi Lek who was caught on camera with his pants down in a hotel room with his …friend?