From The Singapore Straits Times 17th May 2000

Party leaders now have to answer questions from party members who are unhappy the MCA has not been given enough government posts By LESLIE LAU IN KUALA LUMPUR

THE honeymoon is definitely over for the Malaysian Chinese Association, a key member of the Barisan Nasional.

Six months after it helped the ruling coalition retain its two-thirds majority in Parliament, party leaders are now having a tough time answering questions from party rank-and-file who are unhappy that the MCA has not been given enough posts in the government.

Has the hard work all been in vain? Grassroots leaders are now asking the party leadership.

They note that while Gerakan has been rewarded by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad with increased government representation, the MCA's representation at state and federal levels has not been increased.

For this state of affairs, they blame party president Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik who has said that it is not the party's style to openly ask for government positions.

The issue has been hotly debated at party conventions being held all over the country. Most delegates want MCA's complement of four ministers, six deputy ministers and two parliamentary secretaries to be bumped by at least an additional minister's post.

Federal Territory MCA chief Datuk Tan Chai Ho says that he is confident that the party would be given at least another deputy minister's post. But until this happens, Dr Ling will remain in the firing line over a comment he made in December just after party candidates won 28 parliamentary and 68 state seats.

He said then: "We are not seeking extra government positions and we are happy with the status quo."

His statement was aimed at not rocking the Barisan Nasional coalition or spooking Umno, the leader of the coalition, that is still coming to terms with poor electoral performance.

But party members say that his comment was akin to a businessman declaring to the world that he did not want any more customers.

Sources say that what rankled MCA members further was the fact that Gerakan, which won seven parliamentary and 20 state seats was given another two government positions.

"If Gerakan did not get any extra government posts, the president's statement would not be so bad, but now the members feel like they have been kicked in the teeth," a central committee member said.

Both MCA and Gerakan court the Chinese vote and have been involved in a number of scrapes over the past few months.

Their main tussle was over who should lead the Penang state government.

For more than four decades, the state has been ruled by Gerakan but MCA felt that since it has the most number of representatives in the state assembly, its candidate should be the chief minister.

Dr Mahathir disagreed and the party was left licking its wounds. Since then, Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon has held out an olive branch to his friends from the MCA offering the party the post of deputy speaker and the chairmanship of the Penang Port Commission. Still, party insiders expect Dr Ling to come under attack at his party general assembly next month.