The Star reported that the MCA proposes to limit its members of parliament (MPs) holding ministerial appointments to a maximum of two terms (or 10 years), while its state executive councillors will have only three terms.

The objective is stated as two fold, to prevent members from believing they have exclusive ownership of a ministerial appointment and to cycle more members through the ministerial posts assigned to the MCA.

While this may, at first impression, sound reasonable and fair, I am not entirely convinced it's the best safeguard for democratic party practice.

Surely the democratic way would be to listen to or serve the people the party claims to represent, rather than ensure as many MCA MPs as possible get a go at being a minister. What if we get a MP who may be an excellent representative of his or her constituency but hopeless as a minister, one who cannot evolve good public policies or manage the political portfolio? The party's aim must be to get the best performer into the cabinet.

I am not impressed at all by the ostentatious show of pseudo-democracy.

For a start, I would like to see the MCA pass a policy whereby none of its active members, not just elected representatives, will be recommended or permitted to accept a datukship or such titled awards until they have retired from politics. And if they have been lousy representatives or party members not contributing significantly to public services, they shouldn't even be recommended for one.

If the MCA is serious about party reforms, let us start with that. Who knows, the policy may even motivate members to work more seriously for the Malaysian people.