Two Malaysiakini reports (‘ The peace plan that Ong spurned ’ and ‘ Be wary of manipulators ’) have surprised and dismayed many MCA members.

The reports let the cat out of the bag that mediation between Ong Tee Keat and Chua Soi Lek did happen although there is no official party acknowledgment of it.

In fact, the leak of the mediation effort was massive and put the spotlight on some of the biggest Chinese tycoons in town who were involved quietly in trying to settle the leadership quarrel.

Obviously, some people in the two warring camps have been talking too much for reasons known only to them.

This is just too much. Washing their dirty linen for the whole world to snigger at and then splashing the stinking water on each other were not enough fun for the two factions. Now, they have dragged the good name of the tycoons into their filthy pool.

For goodness sake, bear in mind that these are big businessmen who avoid politics like the plague and who are not taking sides and wish to stay out of the limelight. They volunteered their services to help the party with good intentions.

They expected their names to be kept confidential otherwise they would have announced their involvement in full-page advertisements like they normally do when launching their companies’ new business ventures.

As a MCA member, I am embarrassed that even hush-hush mediation could not be kept under wraps by the party’s leaders.

After this episode, I don’t think anyone would want to help negotiate peace in the party. And that is the MCA’s and its members’ loss.