Chua's all out censure bid to arrest Liow's ascent

With MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai a heartbeat away from the party presidency, his boss, Chua Soi Lek is pulling all the stops to ensure that he gets censure at the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) next week.

While a censure may appear simply as a slap on the wrist, the significance of MCA's upcoming Oct 20 EGM, initiated by Chua's faction, is much more than that.

If precedence in MCA is anything to go by, EGMs are often called when factional conflicts boil over into an open war and this time it's a battle between Chua (right) and Liow.

Whoever comes out victorious, even if it's a mere censure, will be a testament of the rivals' political prowess and is likely to have a bearing in the party polls in December.

The EGM will also seek to reverse a party resolution that disallows party members from taking up positions in government following MCA's abysmal performance in the 13th general election.

A successful censure against Liow, whose career since graduation had always been in MCA, will be a blow to his credibility and may erode his support when he goes for president in December.

Therefore it is no surprise that Chua, who has openly declared that he wants his deputy out, is using every trick in the book to discredit Liow.

Feeling the heat

These efforts have been in the works behind the scenes and Liow is admittedly feeling the heat.

Liow told Malaysiakini that Chua had refused him the name list of delegates which is crucial for campaigning ahead of the EGM and had also refused to allow for a debate on the merits of the censure before the meet.

But the behind the scenes machinations spilled over into the public sphere yesterday when MCA-owned The Starprominently highlighted Chua's criticisms against Liow on its front page.

"He is weak", "he is indecisive", "he is not a fighter" screamed the front page in neat speech bubbles with the headline "3 reasons why Liow must go, too".

"He is using all these to put me at a disadvantage at the EGM. He should be able to face challenge in a fair and democratic process.

"Why is he worried about me?" said Liow.

Why indeed? Whether Chua keeps his word and makes way for a new president or decides to pull off a last-minute about turn in December, one thing is certain - he must protect his interest in the party as well as that of his supporters.

Safeguarding interests
If the new president decides to purge Chua's supporters from the party leadership when the incumbent president leaves, Chua's son, Tee Yong, may also be a casualty.

To this end, it is likely to be ideal for Chua to hold on to power by himself or at least have someone trusted to do it, but certainly not Liow.

Liow is a no-no simply because he had, from the beginning, been in the opposing faction to Chua and they were only awkwardly placed together as president and deputy by delegates at the party election in 2010.

That party election was preceded by a crisis like the one now, where then MCA president Ong Tee Keat (left) sacked Chua.

This culminated in the last EGM in 2009 which was a lose-lose situation as Ong lost a confidence vote while Chua failed to have his deputy president position reinstated.

Liow's faction later joined the fray, prompting Ong and Chua to engage in an uneasy truce to maintain power until the crisis was finally resolved at the 2010 party polls.

Masterful politician

Whatever the outcome this time, Chua has proved himself a masterful politician skilled at out-manoeuvring his opponents.

He succeeded at making a comeback within months after he resigned from all positions due to his sex video in 2008 and later survived Ong's attempt to axe him, going on to become party president.

Even now, Chua's political acumen is as sharp as ever.

Chua had succeeded in getting majority central committee support to lift his ally, Pulai Sebatang assemblyperson Tee Siew Kiong's (right) suspension, despite the latter violating a party resolution not to accept government positions after MCA's poor showing at the last general election.

Liow responded by calling for an EGM to reinstate Tee's suspension but was blocked by his boss.

Chua then out-manoeuvred Liow by calling for a counter-EGM that turned the spotlight on Liow with the threat of censure.

With the entire party machinery at Chua's disposal ahead of the EGM and December party election, Liow faces a rough road ahead in his quest for the presidency.