MCA LEADERS: Yes, Dr Chua is forgiven but let's get real

By : LT COL (R) MOHD IDRIS HASSAN, Kuala Lumpur

I REFER to the letter from Bulbir Singh of Seremban on the purportedly unfair treatment dished out to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek by Malaysian Chinese Association president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat ("A time to be forgiving" -- NST, Nov 19).

I wish to point out a contradiction in Bulbir's argument.

First, he concedes that "what the MCA president has done is his business and prerogative as party chief". Then he goes on to say the party president should be forgiving, implying that Dr Chua be given a meatier role in the MCA.

An extension of his argument is that since MCA members have by and large forgiven Dr Chua by electing him to the No. 2 post, all should be forgiven and he should be given a clean slate to start anew.

The MCA today is at one of its lowest ebbs since its formation and it is going to be a Herculean task for Ong to assemble a formidable team to lift it out of the doldrums. Having a deputy with a tainted past is certainly not going to help.
One has to remember that the MCA is a component party of the Barisan Nasional. Whatever it says and does will have a bearing at national level.

Is the BN, or in particular the prime minister, prepared to have a minister who is morally tainted to be in his cabinet? In the most unlikely circumstances, if the answer is "yes", he will constantly be the butt of jokes, rendering him ineffective and an embarrassment to his party.

To the writer's question: "Is there no word like forgiveness in our dictionary?"

Of course there is, but the reality on the ground has to take priority over everything else.