It’s unthinkable for a tainted man to lead MCA

I found this view offered by Tan Sri Robert Phang to be sensible. It is a sentiment that is along similar lines to what Dr M and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has said about the selection of candidates for the Bagan Pinang by-election.

The surest way for BN and its components to regain lost ground is to lead by example. The clearest message of leadership must surely be exemplified by verbs such as "clean", "moral", "upright", "honest", "humble" and the like.

I was tempted to suggest words like "sanitize" or "hygienise" but I realised quickly that such words may suggest meanings such as "To make more acceptable by removing unpleasant or offensive features from..." which may inadvertently remind any person reading the verb to subliminally infer that there were "unpleasant" or "offensive" features that were whitewashed earlier.

In any event, this form of "recycling" (of politicians "with a past") is bad for the political environment.

I have digressed. Read on...

It is unthinkable for a tainted leader – and by his own admission, too – to become the MCA president, said community leader Tan Sri Robert Phang.

“The Chinese community will also feel its future and welfare will never be protected or enhanced by a leader with a tainted record,” he said.

The Social Care Foundation chairman was referring to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, the MCA deputy president who was recently suspended for four years by the MCA central committee.

Phang added that “morality is definitely a very important fundamental requisite part of political leadership.”

Wise words: Phang appealling to all MCA delegates to do away with emotion, exercise prudence and due diligence in exercising their votes.

“What affects MCA will certainly affect Barisan Nasional,” he added.

The future and welfare of the Chinese community, said Phang, would also be at stake should Dr Chua become MCA president.

The party would always be subject to blackmail and intimidation by members of the public and other political parties should they choose a “tainted” person to be its leader, he added.

Phang said the five proposed resolutions submitted by Dr Chua’s camp for the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting (EGM) were well constructed.

“Dr Chua has said many times he was never, and is still not, interested in becoming the party president or a Cabinet member.

“However, it has become very clear that the five resolutions are well engineered and if they are passed, party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat would have no choice but to step down,” he said, adding that Dr Chua would automatically take over from Ong.

He said such a scenario would definitely create anxiety for the Chinese community and cause the central delegates to be affected.

Phang also called on Dr Chua to retire from politics permanently.

“If this decision is taken, I’m sure it will go down in history that you have further contributed and become a tremendous helping hand to the party by not disrupting its machinery.