The disastrous outing of SUPP in the recently concluded Sarawak state elections must have startled Chua Soi Lek and Koh Tsu Koon. The MCA and Gerakan presidents were alarmed and shocked by the sentiments of Sarawakian Chinese, who all but dumped the BN.
SUPP were left with just a couple of Chinese representatives in the Sarawak state assembly after DAP grabbed the lion's share of Chinese-majority constituencies with 12 seats.
Was Chua Soi Lek emoting the true sentiments of the SUPP members or was he further rubbing salt into the wound by advising the Sarawak-based party to stay out of the state Cabinet. This serves as an obvious insult towards SUPP, which has been part of the Cabinet for 4 decades.
It might also have been the MCA president's way of deliberately highlighting SUPP’s failure in front of his big boss, Umno and Najib Razak, and to divert attention from his own party’s failure in securing Chinese votes in the past few years.
Whichever his motive, Chua Soi Lek straightaway earned himself a new nickname of 'God-of-Contradiction' eclipsing even his long-standing 'God-of-Porn' - both of which were bestowed on him by the average man-in-the-street. In coffeshops throughout the nation, Soi Leki's statement, "If they take part in the Cabinet, I feel the Chinese of Sarawak would think they are there only for the seats and not to serve the community", became the top subject of debate and ridicule by the community.
Partly, because after assuming the MCA presidency in 2009, Chua Soi Lek had pressed for a Cabinet post to be awarded to his son, Chua Tee Yong, the Labis MP. Yet the MCA had chalked its worst-ever electoral performance in the 2008 general election as the Chinese in the peninsula slammed the door in the MCA's face. So why did Soi Lek 'volunteer' his son? Why are there still several MCA ministers in the Cabinet? Why doesn't Soi Lek pull them out immediately, especially Tee Yong?
On top of that, MCA's sole representative in Perak Dr Mah Hang Soon also accepted the post of state executive councilor. Aren't these sparkling examples the evidential proofs of the hypocrisy and double standards that led to MCA's own downfall?
Twisting the knife and throwing a red herring
Soi Lek also seems to have forgotten his disastrous 'cameo' performance in Sarawak.
He had gone there to assist SUPP's campaign but the move backfired, with Sarawakians openly shunning him because of his infamous sex video. Sad to say, Sarawakians perceived him as a leader without moral values and principles, comparing him unfavorably with DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng.
In particular, Guan Eng is remembered as the activist who was jailed under Malaysia's infamous Sedition Act for fighting the injustice surrounding an underaged Malay girl who was allegedly raped by former Malacca Chief Minister, Rahim Thambi Chik. Whereas, Soi Lek is remembered for the the sex clip featuring himself cavorting with his mistress. The clip went viral around the world when it was uploaded on YouTube.
Still, while twisting the knife into SUPP and its dethroned president George Chan, Chua Soi Lek made sure to hone his shoe-polishing skills by heaping praises on Prime Minister Najib Razak. This sparked suspicion in the ever-alert Chinese community that he was "doing something for Umno" or in other words casting a red herring to defect attention from the fact that the community had rejected BN due to its racist ways and that the BN deserved the voter snub.
Nonetheless, Soi Lek urged the Chinese to take note of Najib's ability to lead Barisan Nasional to victory in Sarawak. Never once did he mention the massive electoral fraud and vote-buying scandals that marred Black Saturday, April 16, where the Election Commission was repeatedly caught red-handed closing an eye as BN supporters turned the situation at the final tally centres to their favor.
Not suprisingly, Soi Lek was again accused of being Umno's 'running dog' in commentaries throughout cyber-space.
Tsu Koon - another Sleeping Beauty?
Meanwhile, Gerakan's Koh Tsu Koon president of Gerakan also made his voice heard right after the Sarawak elections. To his credit, Koh made better sense when he said, "We need to look at the matter seriously as the phenomenon is now truly a big challenge for the BN".
The problem with Tsu Koon's rationalising is that the Chinese community has long voiced out its displeasure. Their unhappiness had already translated into votes for Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general elections, and also in the subsequent 16 rounds of by-elections since then. In these by-elections, only 20 to 35 per cent of the Chinese votes went BN's way.
Isn't Tsu Koon being a little too little, a little too late with his comments? The former Penang chief minister had held in his hand the power to make a difference but he wasted the decades of opportunity and in the end Penangites booted him out. He lost his seat, just like George Chan.
So for Tsu Koon to make 'tut-tutting' conciliatory sounds now only invites more brickbats from the Chinese, who are just too fed up to want to close an eye anymore.
The real decision facing SUPP and other minority parties
Already, many have slammed him for putting his personal ambition and high-profile federal Cabinet post before Gerakan grassroots and their aspirations. At the most recent Gerakan congress, he exorted members to be more aggressive and assured that the party was recruiting new members at a healthy clip.
But he drew only yawns of disbelief. As Minister for Key Performance Index, most Malaysians - not just the Chinese - believe that Koh has failed his own KPI and should resign.
Some Gerakan members even point to the party's congress in 2008, when Tsu Koon grandly declared that Gerakan would stay in BN - the same tough choice that SUPP members are facing now.
Tsu Koon's rationale was that Gerakan would be more effective should it stay and be the opposition within the BN. Has it?
This all-important question should be put to Malaysians regardless of race. Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Dayak, Orang Ulu or KDM and all other races - if they can be bothered to even care about Gerakan anymore should be asked, "has Gerakan lived up to Koh's pledge to be the opposition within the BN?"
This is the real lesson for SUPP members, pundits say, and certainly not about staying within the Cabinet or not. That may just the red herring thrown out by a "sly" Chua Soi Lek, perhaps on the egging of a fearful Umno elite, they added.
Indeed, it does look like the real decision that members of SUPP and all other minority parties must make if they are serious about contributing to Malaysian society as politicians fighting for a better tomorrow is - isn't it time to leave Barisan Nasional and make a difference? - Malaysia Chronicle
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