IF THE PRIME MINISTER, DATO' SERI MAHATHIR Mohamed's last cabinet reshuffle, was to show how united the National Front (BN) is, it is a failure. He plays games, which he should not, about his plans. If his aim is unity and a stolid team, those he appointed are quick to deny it. This reshuffle is to rearrange the deck after the MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, was forced out. But before he left, with Dr Mahathir's kindly help, he put in force a team to continue the earth-shattering split in the MCA. Nothing, in other words, has changed.

Some of his cartoons are brilliant. There was one recently in Malayskiakini. It had three frames: one had the former MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, and under it the word "Gone"; the second had Dr Mahathir and "About to go"; the third, of the MIC president, Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, with the words, "Touch 'N Go". He seethes and raves about his cartoon used in this self-centred political fight in UMNO, and no doubt he would respond in excoriating commentary in pictures soon enough. That UMNO finds it hard to take is proof he is on the right track. But in his typical modesty he cannot understand the fuss he hascreated. A picture, or cartoon, is worth a thousand words. It is in the nature of politcal cartoonist to raise the hackles of those he criticises or caricatures. That he did, and does, in good measure every time. And it made Zunar into a household name.

THE NEW MCA PRESIDENT, DATO' SERI ONG Ka Ting, would not trust his members to elect him to the post. His predecessor, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, wanted a poodle to succeed him; the party did not. He moved heaven and earth to ensure it. Dato' Seri Ong, comfortable in his post until 2005, now claims MCA members are mature, and "fed up" of talk of electoral contests in MCA. Talking with his usual forked tongue, he says MCA members know what is best for the party. Which no doubt is why he did not want them to vote the new president in. If he believes in what he says, he ought to present himself to the "mature" members to affirm his appointment at the next MCA congress. By no stretch of imagination is he appointed with party-wide approval. He was appointed in a horse-trade in which the members had no say. The party rules allows that as equal to being elected, another of those innovations MCA presidents introduced so that entrenched leaders could not be overthrown.

As the dust settles, nothing is settled. Immediately after the central committee, which the outgoing president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, controlled, elected Dato' Seri Ong as president, a compromise between the two factions - the forces of right led by Dr Ling and the axis of evil led by his deputy president, Dato' Seri Lim Ah Lek - hammered out by that self-important crony, Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing, he who telephones ahead to ask if Dr Mahathir attends to a function he and decides accordingly. But nothing changed. Dato' Seri Ong, in his first presidential order, retained all Dr Ling's appointees, all his men.

Dr Mahathir has only cancelled the licence. He should have sacked the two ministers. But he shies away from drastic decisions these days. Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, resigned from the MCA, and, by convention, his cabinet seat. But Dr Mahathir dilly-dallies over it. He hopes time would erase the crimes, and life in the end be what it was. It would not. He is now caught between a super-crony, whose greed surpassed his loyalty, and his unwillingness to create a scene to sack ministers who stray from cabinet responsibility. He retires in six months. He does not want a cabinet crisis now. Has he a choice?

DATO' SERI Ling Liong Sik RESIGNED, at last, as MCA President on Friday, 23 May 2003, conceded nothing, 15 years after the National Front (BN) president wanted him out. He got all he wanted, his rivals nothing. His rival and deputy president, Dato' Seri Lim Ah Lek resigned with him. But the Lim faction stalwarts are left with the crumbs off the table, and as isolated from MCA councils as in the past three years. What he did is nothing new. MCA presidents have to dragged out, kicking and screaming. But he negotiated his own departured and left with his protege in charge, and his enemies routed. It was a brilliant palace coup.

Which is why Dr Ling come clean. He looks upon it as a post-retirement bauble, but when his reputation is weakest. He does not see that his sell-by date is long past, and for all his apple polishing of Pak Lah, he has a short shelf-life now in political life. However one looks at it, the MCA is as badly split as UMNO is. One is the aging old guard frightened at the prospect of losing the perks of office pitted against the newcomers who is fed up with the fissures and factions that destroy the political party to throw its future in doubt. Now are the rumours true or false? Who owns Utar and who are its shareholders? Are two of its shareholders Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik and Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting? Does MCA own Utar? There are others, but these will suffice for now.

Dato' Seri Adnan talks of casinos and gambling centres for non-Muslim. He talks in riddles. He means the Chinese. Which is why the MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, teamed up with Tengku Adnan, so the Chinese could gamble to their hearts' content. UMNO once accused the non-Malays of stereotyping the Malays as chauffers, peons and drainsweepers. Now an UMNO leader is proud to say, without a trace of shame or embarrassment, that non-Muslims are gamblers. And gamblers must be given their daily fix with casinos. Extend that principle, and UMNO now must provide the free sale of pork, since the Chinese like it. Before he jumps up to protest, both gambling and pork is forbidden for Muslims. Pork is not sold in markets because it is offensive to Muslims. Yet one is allowed, and the other not. Why?

If Dr Ng should be protected from public fury because of her "vast contributions" - how many I wonder? 5, 10, 500? - should not that consideration be extended to others with a greater proven record of public service? Perhaps she has heard of one Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is damned because the UMNO president wants him damned. Should he not get her concern and support? That is one sure way the people would back her as nothing else would or could. Or are the Malaysian people so stupid they would accept blindly any political time-server if his or her political leader backs her? And that Dr Ng should be protected because she is an ally of MCA's president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, whose sell-by date expired a decade ago,

THE MCA PRESIDENT, DATO' SERI Ling Liong Sik is riding high. His protector, the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, insists he would not be driven out of office but be allowed to retire gracefully. He cannot for his horrendous political and mistakes which alientate the Chinese community he nominally represents. This caused a near-fatal split in the party, with the deputy president, Dato' Seri Lim Ah Lek, demanding he quit as he wanted. Dr Mahathir saved him from that. But Dr Ling does not leave well enough alone: he continues to sideline his opponents, and wants to ensure the Local Government and Housing Minister, Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting, succeeds him. In this, he stands firmly on quicksand. There was a peace of sorts, until it was broken last week, when the MCA Youth leader, Dato' Ong Tee Keat, alleged that the MCA leaders unlashed triad gangsters to harass their party opponents.

IF THE MCA PRESIDENT, DATO' Seri Ling Liong Sik needed to know his time is past, it came to him with a bang from an unexpected quarter. The acting Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, ordered him to settle the MCA crisis immediately. An MCA crisis? Yes, one Dr Ling manufactured to force an party irritant named Dato' Ong Tee Kiat out of the party. As usual these days, Dr Ling believes that his writ runs when it does not. And focussed attention unnecessarily on not only MCA but BN as well. Dato' Ong alleged MCA leaders brought in triad gangsters to intimidate their rivals. He did not reveal any secrets; it had been going on for years. Dr Ling demanded Dato' Ong name the leaders, or resign from MCA. Dato' Ong did not, but said he did not sell classified information for personal profit, nor was a permanent resident of a foreign country even before he was appointed deputy minister, nor assets worth hundreds of millions of ringgit.

THE MALAYSIAN CHINESE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, DATO Seri Ling Liong Sik, will not let well enough alone. The clock ticks for his departure. But he is, like party strongmen in Malaysian politics, reluctant to leave until his men are ensconced in high party positions. That is difficult. His future is linked to that of the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed. And the good doctor retires in October. Be that as it may, Dr Ling believes, like a cancer, he would have a life of his own after that. It does not matter that the next prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would want a new MCA leader in the cabinet. Dr Ling hopes, against hope, that Pak Lah would be challenged by his friend, the Hermit of Langgak Golf aka Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. If that is his calculation, he makes too many unsustainable assumptions: that the Hermit, if he challenges Pak Lah for the UMNO presidency next year, he would defeat him; that the Hermit would agree to him continuing in office; that the old friendship gives him a new lease of life.

In the last two decades, corruption fuelled the government more widespreadly than the two decades before that. With the anti-corruption agency defanged, those in government and the civil service believe corruption is a perk of office, how could it be otherwise? Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi has not yet taken office, but there are commission agents and others out there making deals for projects in which a hefty percentage of the project's cost paid up front for "Pak Lah". Until now it was for "Doc", or "Dr Ling" or "Dato' Samy" or a named chief minister or mentri besar. Those in office do not want to leave office for two reasons: one, they are ignored the day after leaving office; two, the gravy train stops. The latter is more important, which is why the likes of Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik or a Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, or a Datin Rafidah Aziz, or a BN cabinet minister or mentri besar or chief minister, cling to office at whatever cost to their personal integrity or future.

THE MALAYSIAN CHINESE ASSOCIATION (MCA) PRESIDENT, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, is shocked and horrified at the millions of ringgit "some" MCA politicians spend to be where they are in the party. Money politics now creeps into thd party. It is worrisome, he told an MCA gathering in Johore Bahru on Sunday, 03 March 2003. But since it is only millions of ringgit, it is 'not serious'. MCA would no doubt act only when billions of ringgit are involved. He does not explain his role in MCA to encourage money politics. He used it to the hilt to throw his opponents out. Like President George W. Bush and the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, he believes in only one prevailing view. His. But it is challenged.

The transport minister, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, insists Kuala Lumpur International Airport at Sepang, the most modern when it was commissioned in 1998, is near bursting. Fifty thousand passengers a day fly in and out of KLIA, he told reporters, with 50,000 bags or an average 3,000 men and bags every hour of the 18 hours KLIA stays open. And why the then most modern baggage handling system breaks down so frequently. But there is a quick fix: get 1,800 plastic tubs at RM70 each, and double what it has, put individual bags in individual individual tubs, and a problem which evaded resolution for years is resolved instantly. Of course, more would be bought so "there will be one bag to one tub." Since the total amount for this is only RM126,000, not the billions of ringgit it would cost to build another airport, this would be tendered. The cronies would find the pickings not worth bothering.

But he must by then also resolve the dislocation in the National Front (BN) caused inevitably by the refusal of the leaders of coalition parties to step down after decades in office. That would not be easy but if he could pull that off, he would start his prime ministership with strong backing from the non-Malay communities, and strengthen his standing within UMNO. The MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, throws the buck at Dr Mahathir with an undated letter of resignation, which is not acted upon. Dato' Seri Abdullah, in one of his first acts of office, must accept it. The MIC leader, Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, believes he can remain in the cabinet for another five years. He should not be allowed to. Only the Gerakan leader, Dato' Seri Lim, wants to quit; but even he would not consider retirement until he was ready to, not when circumstances demanded it.

UMNO's leadership uncertainties upset the BN coalition as well. Every coalition leader clings to office as UMNO's does. The MIC leader, Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, is in office, as party leader and cabinet minister, for 25 years. He wants to make it a round 30 before he leaves. The MIC deadwood leaders are up in arms when an Indian political leader, formerly from MIC, reveals the obvious -- that he must leave. The MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, sends in secret an undated resignation letter and expects Dr Mahathir to decide for him. But Dr Mahathir cannot and would not. So Dr Ling clings to office. Even when a former close business and political ally now accuses him of using his office to enrich himself at the government's expense. But the coalition leaders cling to office as tenaciously as UMNO leaders, and refuse to give way. They have decided their continuance in office is as, if not more, important than the well-being of the communities they represent.

Now other UMNO leaders have offered to do it too. In Perak, five state assemblymen will not contest the general elections. But all this wayang kulit, what one expects in any regime change. The party leaders want to hold on to what they have, and insist on being there when a new UMNO president is in place. If they are serious, why do not they say categorically that they are not candidates in the next general and UMNO general elections? One who believes he is a burden would give way without demur. But all wants to stay on, and hopes this wayang kulit would ensure it. There is a simple reason for this. When the MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, sent in his resignation in August, Dr Mahathir did nothing about it. Five months later, when it became public knowledge, he was still thinking about it. And they reason, rightly, that if it takes Dr Mahathir five months to be indecisive about a letter of resignation, there is hope yet that theirs would not be either.

THE ORACLE HAS SPOKEN. The Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, having done what he could to force the MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, out of office, now does not want the MCA to change horses midstream. So, Dr Ling stays put. Dr Mahathir has not got around to considering Dr Ling's alleged resignation as transport minister last August. If it takes him five months not to decide, and insists on playing games, it is a sign that he should leave. For if he cannot sort out a simple problem as a cabinet minister, especially of one he wants out, it is proof yet of his faculties deserting him. Dr Ling, rescued yet again from political oblivion, celebrates too soon. He berates his deputy president as an irritant, is fed up of his nagging, But the principled politician he is, he is not fazed by it all, and remain patient from all unprincipled aggravation from a man he believes is unfit to succeed him.

MALAYSIAN POLITICS BECOMES unusually active when a political party had a crisis, usually when a party president decides he need to stay on because he has failed and must now be given time to succeed. It does not matter which political party, but it provides Malaysians with the comic relief they cannot often get on their television screens. It is the MCA which now provides it. A decade and a half ago, the then deputy prime minister, Tan Sri Musa Hitam resigned as deputy prime minister but not as UMNO deputy president, a decade and a half ago, when he had a falling out with the prime minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed. Now it is the MCA president, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, to prove lightning strikes twice in the same place. He has stayed too long in office that he is more a liability to the MCA. As pressure mounts on him, he does a Musa Hitam: he offers to resign as transport minister, but not as MCA president, which he will hold on, until the MCA succession is settled.

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