In an earlier piece on the saga of MCA chief Dr Ling Liong Sik, which started with his deputy Lim Ah Lek's surprise announcement that he (Ling) has decided to resign as transport minister on May 22, I likened the unfolding events as a potential Agatha Christie murder mystery, where an important element missing was "there is no body", in this instance, "there is no resignation letter". ([#1] Ling's saga a mystery [/#], May 24)

An interesting letter to malaysiakini on Wednesday, [#2] The President's new clothes [/#] (June 7), narrated the goings-on akin to a Hans Christian Andersen fable, "The Emperor's New Clothes", where a discerning five-year-old girl at last exclaimed: "The President has no intentions to resign in the first place!"

In hindsight, I agree the issue was not a "serious" one, but a flippant "sleight of the hand" by a desperado minister trying his hands as a magician, maybe preparing for his third career option in case he is over-qualified for anything less than the group chief editor's job at The Star ?

The past fortnight's political drama involving the second-most senior BN component, MCA, has thrown up some highlights. One feature is that former, long-standing DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang, now chairman, has found a disciple in Ling in playing the "Yes, I'm resigning", "No, I'm reconsidering", "Yes, I'm still determined to resign", and "No, please give me a few more days of 'wayang'".

By the way, they also share the same surname in the Chinese character. So does MCA deputy chief Ah Lek, who played an unwitting role in the charade conducted at Ling's pleasure. The upshot of Ling's final decision on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after arriving at KLIA towards midnight the day before, that he will continue to serve (as transport minister), caught Ah Lek flat-footed in his factional fight against Ling's camp.

So much so Ah Lek and his strongman Chan Kong Choy had to put up a false front of "united as one big happy family" as their leader read from a prepared text, a five-paragraph statement beginning with "My resignation...".

Just to reiterate here: there never was any resignation. Indeed, there was never any intention in the first place on the part of Ling to resign!

Now, some light is shed on Mahathir's intimation that Ling's wish to resign had something to do with "family matters". We were all so thick to think it referred to Ling's personal familial affairs...no, dummies, it refers to that "big happy family" at Wisma MCA! Maybe the discerning five-year-old girl would have caught on from the beginning.

Other famous words worth placing on record include those by vice-president Ong Ka Ting, who pleaded time and again on party members' behalf, that Ling must stay on as he is deemed "irreplaceable".

Another VP who did not want to be left out, Fong Chan Onn, upped the famous line by saying that that Ling is "indispensable", and that "Of the 800,000 MCA party members, there is not a single one qualified enough to replace our beloved president Dr Ling Liong Sik."

If I were an MCA party member (I am not, but several of my friends are, and I pity them!), I would feel very insulted and may consult a lawyer whether there is any money in a potential defamation suit against the doctoral speaker in those words.

Senior VP not clearly aligned with either Ling or Lim faction, Chua Jui Meng, said also that 99 percent of the Chinese community supported Ling and desired him to stay as transport minister. Did Chua burn the midnight oil conducting a poll running the length and breadth of smallish Malaysia to come up with this "finding"?

I wonder if the chiefs of the Chinese Assembly Hall and Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and various guilds, mainly non-political organisations, came forward "willingly and sincerely" to express support for a political leader without consulting their memberships at large?

But Chua, unwittingly or with some mischief, did let out with reporters post-press conference on Tuesday that Ling's decision (to stay as transport minister) had "healed" some of the problems but did not elaborate what they were. ([#3] Ling says he will stay[/#] , June 6).

Talk has it that Ling was joined at his golfing holiday in Perth by a Lee Kim Yew, renowned developer of Country Heights, who is acting as mediator between the rival groups. Lee, by the way, enjoys the ears of PM Mahathir Mohamad, which comes in useful for any deal that requires "big brudder's" sanction!

A sideshow that went without much notice for English newspapers readers was that prior to joining Dad in Perth, youngest-tycoon-at-27 Hee Leong told China Press that he has heard of a businessman named Soh Chee Wen, "But I don't know him and have nothing to do with him."

To a question from malaysiakini (Kevin Tan, syabas! ) whether Ling senior's dilemma stemmed from his son's business problems also involving fugitive tycoon Soh, Ling answered: "An evil lie that can only come from an evil mind." ([#] 'Evil' to tie resignation to fugitive tycoon, says MCA chief [/#], May 24).

Malaysians are nowadays getting familiar with people accusing others of telling "lies", but these are definitely not among them:

*Many swanky mansions with very western frontages along the Swan River bear very Malaysian names on the ownership papers;

*Some initiative Chinese press reporters who went to Perth came back from Perth with anecdotal evidence to show their editors they did try their best to get from the horse's mouth the latest update, but the long trip could only yield a brief: "Ling is still determined to resign as transport minister".

*A surprise visitor to Perth was Chan Kong Choy, the irritating VP who was impatient to become full minister (now only deputy finance minister) as a result of which the sifu (Ling) had to sacrifice himself to make way for his pupil.

Chan acted coy and did not intimate on his return to KL what his mission to Perth was all about, but sources told malaysiakini it definitely was not to "persuade Ling to change his mind about resigning as transport minister" ([#4] MCA VP makes surprise visit to meet Ling in Australia [/#], June 2). So Chan, acting on behalf of Lim Ah Lek, must be also negotiating, with Lee Kim Yew's participation, about his "promised" promotion to full ministership.

If he persists in talking in tongues to reporters, Chan might just be recommended to Mahathir for a demotion to parliamentary secretary, making way for another Ling's yes-"second echelon"-man, Donald Lim Siang Chai?

After two weeks of "wayang" by Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers of Chinese descent masquerading as leaders acting on behalf and in the best interest of the Chinese community (Chua's words, not mine), we taxpayers must now applaud the magic troupe's artful performance. A pity they didn't arrange to charge tickets for the show (donate collections to JE victims to help the BN candidate in the Teluk Kemang by-election, perhaps?).

However, when the cat (no, it's not a rabbit!) is finally let out of the bag, we will have a louder and final laugh.

But for me, it's not funny that the Transport Minister has taken us for a ride, though it comes logically and expectedly in line with his portfolio.

Except for the fact that we the citizens pay the taxes that pay the salary and largesse of the Cabinet post, the ride did not cost us anything but our time. But Mr Minister, the price that you have paid and continue to pay is that you have lost all credibility.