Last week, MCA vice-president Chua Jui Meng surprised local political pundits by announcing that he would challenge the president, Ong Ka Ting, during the party polls in August.

Ong was appointed to lead the party by outgoing president, Dr Ling Liong Sik ( photo ). There was no party election at that time, as this was purportedly part of a deal brokered by former Barisan Nasional (BN) chairperson and then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

It included the appointment of Chan Kong Choy as deputy president to satisfy the followers of previous deputy president Lim Ah Lek, who was leading a rival faction.

Chan was part of the so-called Team B during the presidency of Ling. Chan is now part of Ong's team. I understand that there was an attempt to induce Chua to stand for the No 2 post with assurances that he would win against Chan.

It was indeed astute of Chua not to take the bait. He chose instead to go for broke by challenging the top position in the interest of MCA and its members.

I congratulate him for this very bold move, and wish both him and Ong well in a clean and decisive contest for the party's top leadership.

Democracy in MCA

Democracy has at last come to MCA. It is setting the example for other component parties of BN to emulate. I hope that the forthcoming elections will be transparent, without 'phantom voters' on the register. If the elections are to be fair, then I believe the outcome is too close to call at this time.

Chua issued his manifesto on July 7, entitled 'New Politics New Vision New MCA'. This is interesting in the sense that it has never done before in MCA, if my memory is correct. Again, I praise him for sharing his vision for MCA with the party members and the Malaysian public.

The world at large can now read and ponder over his views as the manifesto is posted on his website

Chua appeals to the party's central delegates to use this opportunity to "determine the type of leadership and direction" MCA needs in the 21st century. A party manifesto is essentially a road map. It enables a candidate to share his vision and future plans on such issues as politics, economics, education and culture.

Without the manifesto, the membership cannot judge and hold its president accountable for his promises. The party would be like a boat floating on the wide ocean without any sense of direction or knowledge of where it is heading. Chua realises the value of his manifesto as the pillar of MCA in the years to come.

Yet it is amazing to note that Ong's reaction to Chua's innovation was to simply state that he (Ong, photo ) does not issue any manifesto. He is implying that members can understand his thoughts and programme by reading his mind! He is asking them to put their blind trust in his leadership.

There is no way to measure a leader's performance if he or she is not open and transparent. Already many at the party grassroots, though not with the central delegates, are asking what Ong has achieved for the party since taking over from Ling.

Goals in manifesto

Chua's manifesto seeks to "set new directions for our community within the wider aspirations and goals of Vision 2020, a vision for a developed Malaysian nation...." His political agenda is to build a strong MCA that can contribute in a more meaningful and positive way to the continued victory of BN in future general elections.

He states that MCA must be strong with core values founded on love of and care for the Chinese community as well as fairness, justice, integrity, discipline, courage in their convictions, and tolerance for differences in opinions. We can assume that Chua means a more democratic party with leaders who are clean, committed and capable.

MCA has to earn the respect of the Chinese community. The people's welfare is intertwined with that of the party. MCA seeks to represent the Chinese community. As I see it, a strong and confident MCA is an asset to the BN coalition. BN is after all a partnership of equals, led by Umno.

Part of Chua's strategy is to build a strong party by involving and engaging the increasingly educated young as well as tapping the wisdom and experience of the party elders. He wants to create space for young and dynamic leaders to emerge and blossom.

Chua's economic agenda starts with a statement that "economics is without a doubt one of the areas closest to the heart of the Malaysian Chinese". It is rightly so, as it is the engine that drives every other sphere in society.

I expect to see many concrete programmes with Chua's presidency of the MCA. He promised a master plan within his first year, to be formulated by the community, NGOs, and the best and brightest minds within the country and abroad.

Chua's education and culture agendas are also interesting. He is committed to excellence in education. He wants it to produce minds that can explore, adapt and be creative as well as "to continually learn and grow in a dynamic global environment of continuous and rapid change".

Sharper focus

Chua's aspirations are consistent with Vision 2020 and existing national policies and programmes. In this sense, he is not advocating something new. Instead, he brings his community's hopes and aspirations into sharper focus. He has based his cultural agenda on the need to strengthen the Chinese identity. A community that is proud of its history, heritage and tradition is vital for a strong and developed nation.

The manifesto reflects the concerns and wishes of the Chinese community. The nation should see to accommodate them within our national programmes. The time has come for the rest of the country to recognise and appreciate the contributions and sacrifices of the Chinese community in Malaysia's development since independence.

The next president of MCA must be able to have the full support of his community so that he can represent their views and concerns in the national dialogue to build a united Malaysian community.

This will require suaveness, patience, diplomacy and strategic compromise.

We should leave the MCA body politic to make its choices between the incumbent with no expressed strategy and his challenger who has presented a manifesto that is all embracing and comprehensive.

By ensuring that its forthcoming party election is clean and transparent and by offering its members clear viable choices for the leadership position, MCA would lead our country into a new era of democratic party contestations where the best man can win. This augurs well for the future of politics in Malaysia.

DIN MERICAN is a senior research fellow with the Cambodian Institute for Co-operation and Peace, Phnom Penh. This article represents his personal views.