I refer to Malaysiakini report Muhyiddin reveals 7-day mission to fix MCA .

MCA, which is embroiled in a power struggle among two camps who want to control the party, has to rely on their Big Brother Umno to resolve their internal conflicts. More than two decades ago, Ghafar Baba had to become a mediator between the Tan Koon Swan and Neo Yee Pan factions in MCA to solve their internal problems. This resulted in both the MCA bigwigs having to make way for others to lead the party.

Will history repeat itself? Will Umno use their ‘powers of persuasion’ to force the top guns of MCA (who seem to be at loggerheads among themselves) to make way for others who are acceptable by both camps and their grassroots supporters to lead the party?

Previously, when Ling Liong Sik and Lim Ah Lek and their supporters in the party had an internal power struggle, they had to resign at the same time under the instructions of the then prime minister, the indomitable Dr Mahathir Mohammad. The two MCA top posts were then taken over by their trusted lieutenants Ong Ka Ting and Chan Kong Choy who became the president and deputy president of the party for less than five years until BN lost big in the 2008 polls.

MCA, which used to be the voice of the Chinese community in the past, has already lost its influence among the community. The last time an MCA president had an influential post in the cabinet as finance minister was when the late Tan Swee Chin was around in the 60s and early 70s. After he resigned from office, the powerful finance and trade industry ministers’ posts which were allocated to MCA were taken over by Umno leaders.

The last general election saw Chinese voters swinging from MCA rival DAP which won big in the Chinese-majority areas while MCA candidates only scrapped through in Malay-majority areas with the help of Malay voters. This big swing makes MCA a pale shadow of its former self and the internal conflicts they are facing now will only weaken the further.

Najib Razak knows that he cannot rule the country without winning over the Chinese voters and MCA being a senior partner of BN needs to get it house in order first before the party can convince the skeptical Chinese voters to support them again.

Time is not on BN’s side and if he internal crisis in MCA is dragged on, it will only weaken BN’s chances to win back the voters who had ditched them in droves during the last general election.

MCA needs new blood to lead the party and one is not sanguine that fresh polls to elect new leaders in the party will solve the party internal problems. There are too many factions in the party who want to win top posts and not one can claim that he or she has the solid support of party members to lead the party.

If MCA cannot get its house in order, the best thing that Umno can do is ‘kicked’ them out of the BN stable as the problematic party will only get scorned by the Chinese community at the next general polls.

MCA is made up of leaders who only interested in preserving their self-interests which only makes the party a laughing stock among Malaysians alike.

The obituaries have already been written for MCA and if Umno is not careful in dealing with them, then BN’s obituary will also be written.