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The MCA and the triads: might is right

AMIDST THE CONTROVERSY OF THE MCA President, Dato' Seri Ong Ka Ting's links to triads, and with more evidence on his control of the party through the triads, the deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, wants all not to talk about it. The MCA is not the triads, and the triads are not the MCA, he says. "We should not assume that many triad members have inflitrated the MCA just because of one person (a member who is involved in a secret society)" (How about a dozen and more, Pak Lah? The list is with him.)

But the MCA, in his view, is a pristine organisation and it should not be sullied by accusations of its links with the triads. He had to make that call. This affects the BN's electoral ability especially since UMNO depends on the non-Malay, largely Chinese, vote to hold on to its two-thirds majority. The long standing accusations of links between Dato' Seri Ong and triad leaders now turns out to be true. So his links to two prominent triad leaders, in Penang and in Selangor.

One 'surat layang' (anonymous letter) in Chinese reflects his close links to the triad leaders, which began when he, as deputy home minister, helped them out of restricted residence. Too may incidents related in it is verifiable, and it has the ring of truth. If it is wrong, Dato' Seri Ong must categorically deny it. But when the MCA youth leader, Dato' Ong Tee Kiat, highlighted it, Dato' Seri Ong and his predecessor, Dato' Seri Ling Liong Sik, wanted to expel him. But the controversy would not die down.

Dato' Seri Ong now admits his links to one man, Ong King Ee, also known as Jackie Chan, an MCA branch leader, but he avers it was not as close as alleged. That is sufficient political grounds for Pak Lah to call on all not to link the MCA with the triads. That is not enough. The Registrar of Societies must act against all branches with known triad leaders heading it. The list is widely available, and the MCA president and his council should take the first step by suspending all suspect branches and the triad leaders. It is not enough to insist on due process which he would not give the whistleblowers. Given the powers of the MCA presidential council, that should be a simple matter. Besides, the MCA youth chief, Dato' Ong, gave Pak Lah, who is also home minister, of the triad leaders in MCA.

If he wants the MCA to be effective, he must integrate the Team B faction of the party into his leadership, announce his intention to allow the MCA delegates to decide on the MCA presidency by ordering a election next year. Too much has gone wrong for him to insist he cannot be challenged until 2005. He was not elected, but appointed, in one of Dr Ling's last act in office, as his protege. On taking office, he continued with Dr Ling's contentious team, isolated Team B, and with his deputy president, Dato' Chan Kong Choy, promised to united the party.

Every subsequent action was long on hope and promise and precious little on uniting the hopelessly divided party. His appeal to the Chinese community and his presidential stance rose the higher as news of his links with the triads became more prominent. The Gerakan president and his cabinet colleage, Dato' Seri Lim Kheng Yaik, now reveals he was aware of his links with the triad leaders in Penang. I have seen a list of MCA officials in Penang and Selangor who are, I am told, also active in the triads.

A curious doubt: what was the police doing all this while. Did it now know of the triad leaders in the MCA? Why did it not act against them? Or did they not act because it was the MCA, not an opposition political party, which had them as branch leaders and higher? It is now becoming necessary for the Registrar of Societies to require all office bearers to sign a declaration they are not linked to triads and gangster organisations. As for Jackie Chan, he is reported to be in Thailand.

The National Front (BN) is caught with its collective pants down. It has not learnt its lesson. Whenever one of its leaders decide upon an issue to show it means what it says, it backfires. Whatever the issue - corruption, highhandedness, acquiring wealth beyond greed, taxi licences, gambling licences - it will land at the foot of a BN leader. The PPP leader decided to make an example of corruption in municipal councils, and he had to be kicked upstairs when that led all the way up to the mentri besar of Selangor.

The UMNO president decided to make an example of his deputy president, and had him jailed in the best traditions of a kangaroo court. Now two senior UMNO leaders when faced with charges similar to what Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted for, elaborate reasons are found to justify that it is not as serious. All this comes as Dato' Seri Anwar appeals to be allowed bail pending a hearing of his appeals. The Attorney-General's Chambers opposes it. If what I hear is true, the Prime Minister is not averse to allowing bail, but the Prime Minister-to-be is not. That man is too dangerous to be let out for the inherent damage he can cause in Pak Lah's bailliwick.

Normally what Dr Mahathir wants goes. But these are not normal times. He retires in three months. His successor, Pak Lah, could be around for five years and more. Slowly the Old Man's powers are clipped. The home ministry is now under Pak Lah's control. When Dr Mahathir went on his visit to Ukraine last week, 30 loyalists accompanied him; When Pak Lah visited Japan recently, 300, including several Mahathir loyalists, went along. That is the way of the world. What Pak Lah wants Pak Lah gets. What about justice? What about it? Meanwhile, Dato' Seri Ong will be allowed to do as he pleases for what put lesser beings in jail, and Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim will rot in jail for which lesser politicians would go scot free.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my