Sabah MCA has renewed its effort for a deputy chief minister's post in the state cabinet by making a last ditch offer to the partyless incumbent Raymond Tan.

In the recent past, the party had openly demanded the post as the second biggest party, after Umno, in the ruling Barisan Nasional. Umno holds the chief minister's post. The state MCA demand has not gone down well with local political parties in the state BN and the opposition.

raymond tan sapp "Should Tan ( right ) decide to join us, we don't see any good reason to reject him or not welcome him as long as he subscribes to our struggle as well as that of BN and is willing to serve the party, BN and the nation," confirmed state MCA organising secretary Kelvin Lim as local news reports swirled, quoting "highly reliable" sources, that Tan is on the verge of joining Gerakan and being appointed the state vice-chairperson.

State MCA deputy chairperson Paul Kong similarly welcomed the prospect of Tan joining his party. "The party would be strengthened with the presence of Raymond," he said. "He will bring with him a wealth of experience in government and politics."

Kong disclosed that Tan's prospective membership in Sabah MCA has been endorsed by several divisions including Penampang, Papar, Keningau, Tenom and Kalabakan.

Lim likewise denied that state MCA leaders have all along been blocking efforts by Tan to join the party, while eyeing his state cabinet and government posts.

ong tee keat and mca This is not the reason why Tan met with MCA President Ong Tee Keat in Kuala Lumpur on March 24, added Lim.

He pointed out that "anyone suitable and qualified can apply directly to the party headquarters to join the party and not just through the local branches, divisions or state liaison committee."

Lim, who is also the Papar division chairperson, explained that the party's recent calls against Tan was made in "the spirit of democracy."

He denied that the party was solely interested in securing the state cabinet and government posts held by Tan "by the backdoor."

Besides being one of the three DCMs, Tan is also state minister of infrastructure development.

MCA will make good the offer, added Lim, provided Tan can run the gauntlet before entering the party i.e. prove that he's a Chinese Malaysian, has no criminal records, is not a bankrupt or facing bankruptcy proceedings and is not a member of any existing political party.

'No' to joining unfriendly parties

The state MCA offer to Tan comes despite him dismissing the possibility of joining any of the BN component parties in the state who have been "unfriendly" to him and demanding that he quit his state cabinet and government posts. MCA and the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) have been in the forefront demanding his ouster.

"They (MCA and LDP) are the same leaders who have been saying that I have not been doing anything," cried Tan. "I do not think that any of these leaders, who are unfriendly to me, would like me to join them either."

LDP president VK Liew has also said his party would welcome Tan if he wants to join them.

The state MCA's public offer follows the disclosure by Tan himself over the weekend that he had a very positive meeting with the MCA president. Apparently, according to Tan, Ong advised him "on certain matters" which he refused to divulge.

"You can ask him what he has advised me," said Tan last weekend. "The Sabah MCA views are different from his."

The local political grapevine has it that he was invited to join the state MCA and given firm assurances on his position in the state cabinet and government and his future as the representative for Tanjung Papat in Sandakan.

Tan had been reportedly seeking such assurances from "a suitable BN component party" after his bid to form his own party and join BN ran into a stonewall of objections from all BN component parties except Umno.

Tan was also apparently advised by Ong that he would be in a much more formidable political position as a member of a national party with direct links to the leadership in Kuala Lumpur. This is in view of the domination of Umno in the state and its monopoly of the chief minister’s post.

Tan would have preferred to helm his own party within BN and get the SAPP membership behind him. However, this is a non-starter since the BN rules state that entry must be unanimous. Expulsion, however, can be decided by a simple majority.

Fears of a Trojan horse?

yong teck lee sabah sapp party pc 230409 02 State BN component party leaders are also not completely satisfied that Tan has really cut off his ties with his former mentor Yong Teck Lee, the SAPP president, and fear that he may be a "Trojan horse" within the coalition.

Both Tan and Yong are yet to attack each other, whether in public or private and this further fueled speculation and increased suspicion.

Tan was the deputy president of SAPP at the time it pulled out last Sept 17 from the BN citing lost of confidence in the federal leadership and unhappiness over a host of unresolved local grievances.

There's some suspicion that Tan is yet to resign from SAPP in writing. Before SAPP, Tan was in PBS which has already declared that it is willing to take him back. Another standing offer has been made by the United Pasok Momogun KadadazanDusunMurut Organisation (Upko) President Bernard Giluk Dompok who has disclosed that he discussed the subject with Tan.

Should Tan join Gerakan either today or tomorrow, in conjunction with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's two-day visit to Sabah, it is unlikely that the speculation and suspicion about his political affiliations will cease.

koh tsu koon pc 300409 Gerakan president Dr Koh Tsu Koon maintains very close ties with the SAPP president. This is a fact inadvertently disclosed by Tan himself last weekend when he was pressured to confirm his interest in Gerakan. Koh was scheduled to accompany Najib on his two-day Sabah visit.

The issue of Tan's "long overdue resignation" flared up anew in recent days after LDP's deputy president Chin Su Phin publicly called on Tan and suspended Umno leader Japlin Akim, an assistant state minister, to resign from the state cabinet.

Chin, while conceding that the Sabah chief minister has the prerogative powers to decide on the composition and make-up of the state cabinet and government, said that "he must take into account the feelings of the people when he makes decisions on any matter."

This goes as well for the decision to retain Tan in the state cabinet beyond a reasonable period of time, added Tan. "The candidate for Tan's post should come from one of the BN component parties."

He denied that LDP would press for Tan's post and noted that the Chinese DCM can also come from PBS or MCA.

Tan has no plans to resign from the state cabinet and the government, however, and leaves his fate in the hands of Musa.

Musa Aman in a tight spot

musa aman pc in sabah 190608 02 This has placed Chief Minister Musa Aman in an increasingly difficult spot. It is understood that Musa has since advised Tan that he should park himself at one of the BN component parties soon if he wants to stay on in the state cabinet and the government.

Some of Tan's friends are even privately urging him to join the state Umno which has a small number of non-bumiputera members.

Gerakan seems to be ideal for Tan, according to most observers, since the party has no Parliamentary or state seat in Sabah.

Hence, Tan's membership in Gerakan would guarantee that he can not only get to keep his present state cabinet and government posts but also his Tanjung Papat seat in the state assembly. The Chief Minister can be expected to exercise his prerogative powers in favour of Tan.