Fatal Purity

The sacking of Dr Chua Soi Lek has rocked the MCA to its foundations. Only those directly involved will ever know the compelling reasons for the sacking of the party deputy president.At the same time, there is now a resistance movement brewing within the party to collect signatures to hold an emergency general meeting (EGM) to unseat Ong Tee Keat, the party president, who claims to be under-siege from all sides.

There was much hope when Ong first took over. Of all MCA leaders, Ong is considered honest, trustworthy and a "straight talker". His decision to open the Pandora's Box on the PKFZ scandal earned him even more kudos.It also seemed as though Chua had triumphed over the rampant hypocrisy that surrounded the DVD saga. Having admitted and taken responsibility by resigning from his ministerial position, he had demonstrated accountability. That, he was allowed to stand as a candidate for the party's deputy presidency and won, earned Chua the respect of many.

It was in the same party elections that Ong was elected president.Chua's victory was unexpected and Ong's disapproval about Chua's"adultery" was public knowledge. But, for a while, it seems both men were ready to set aside the past to concentrate on the future.There is little point in describing the step-by-step disintegration oftheir relationship. Suffice to say that both Ong and Chua have madethemselves larger than the party that they are supposed to lead. For Ong, on his "lonely" crusade to shine the light on corruption, nothing other than absolute loyalty is enough.

Not satisfied with wielding the new broom to sweep away the oldnetworks of politics and business interests, Ong now believes that his struggle is one that is "do or die". He even claims that his life andthe safety of his family are on the line.

Ong, a man on a mission

It seems the MCA president is a man on a mission. For him, the new MCA must be free from the "corruption" represented by the PKFZ scandal. With so many MCA appointees involved, it must have been galling for Ong when Chua suggested that he take on Kuala Dimensi CEO on his own.

That may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. As Ong soldiered on, despite pressures from within the party and powerful entrenched interests, Chua (left), his deputy, did not give him full support.

Ong's only bargaining chip was to present a united front: the new MCA was determined not only to disassociate itself from the PKFZ but was willing to let wrong-doers, even if they include party members, face the music.

If BN is ever to regain lost ground in the last general election, it will require the leadership of this new MCA. Ong's decision to inject a moral dimension into the making of a new MCA spooked many. Here, Chua was a real stumbling block. How can the MCA president talk about morality with Chua as his deputy?

Herein, lay the weakness of such a platform to revive MCA's fortunes. To be successful, Ong needs to open the MCA closet and stare into the hollow eyes of many skeletons. He can only hope that after all the rot has been removed, there is enough will left to re-brand the party.

To pursue such a policy Ong required the full support of his party, especially its leadership. With Chua Jui Meng having gone over to Pakatan Rakyat, Ong also knew that the noose around his own neck was drawing tighter. Jui Meng continues to criticize Chua and even casts aspersion on Umno's support for the latter to unseat Ong. Whether or not this is merely speculation or had Umno truly wanted to institute regime change within the MCA, we may never know.

Eliminate "possible challenge"

But, by dragging Umno into the picture the public image of the MCA drops further. Many remembered how the late Ghafar Baba had to intervene in a previous power-struggle in the MCA, solidly increasing Umno's dominant role in the BN. Today, the PM said he will not get involved unless invited to do so. Few will believe he does not have a hand in the current MCA crisis.

Thus, many now interpret rightly or wrongly, that Ong's decision to sack his deputy may be a pre-emptive strike - to eliminate any possible challenge or distraction from the PKFZ scandal.Here, Ong might benefit from hindsight by looking at what happened to another man who was known for being "incorruptible", whose biographer described, as suffering from fatal purity.

Maximilien Robespierre, who presided over the "Terror" during the French Revolution, was a man of utmost morals. He was abstemious and well-mannered, yet, he was so wedded to his principles that he lost sight of the original objectives of the revolution. Instead of giving birth to a new society, his dogmatic and pugnacious insistence that everyone bend to the "Public Will" led to a bloodbath.

Of course, nothing Ong does will lead to anything dramatic. It may not even be of national importance even if the MCA collapsed tomorrow or in 2013. But, this need to bring about a new MCA based on a moral crusade, one where the party's own deputy can be judged twice for the same crime, which may be expedient but will ultimately prove to be fatal.

Ultimately, the nation suffers as the second largest party in the BN continues to crumble.