I refer to the Malaysiakini report 'MCA leaderless, idea-less and impotent' .

The impact of the 10.10.09 MCA EGM is tumultuous. The madness must cease. MCA members must stop now. They are paying the double price of smashed hopes.

In order to atone their sins they must take the initiative in bringing to a stop this tragic internal warfare. MCA as a party must undergo a radical transformation of values. There is nothing to keep MCA from moulding a recalcitrant membership, with bruised hands, until they fashion it into a brotherhood.

Their only hope lies in their ability to recapture the MCA spirit to face a sometimes hostile political environment from within MCA, BN and the opposition. The members can no longer afford to worship a god of hate and bow before the altar of retaliation

If they do not act now they will be surely be dragged down the long and dark corridors of shame.

Let us get to basics.

MCA is an association. The contract of membership with the payment of subscription calls for the observance by all members to the rules of its constitution. In particular, there is an implied undertaking by the association to uphold those rules in good faith.

It must not be in pursuance of some oblique or improper motive. Edmund Burke once said - ‘A party is a body of men united for promoting by their joint endeavours the national interest upon some particular principle in which they all agreed’.

Therefore the party constitution is our guiding force and it is the supreme document. The ground rules of the game are envisaged in it. All members including the president must honour it and play by those rules.

Article 35 provides: ‘...the general assembly may dismiss any party official if approved by at least two-thirds of the delegates to the general assembly. The results of the EGM resolution were ‘that members of the general assembly have no confidence in the leadership of Ong Tee Keat’ and this was adopted by 1,155 votes against 1,141.

A corollary of that result is that this resolution has failed to dismiss the president. Ong Tee Keat is still the president of the MCA. The MCA president had pledged time and again to uphold the MCA constitution throughout his long membership.

He must continue to honour and uphold the MCA Constitution. May I offer Benjamin Disraeli’s timely and appropriate advice to the MCA president - ‘Damn your principles. Stick to your party.’

Ong’s selfless services and sacrifices for the MCA have been etched in the party’s history. He has the unflagging conviction towards the purity of MCA’s objectives and worthiness of its cause.

He has been a forthright leader who spoke up fearlessly. He exposed the excessive amounts paid for the renovations of the Chinese primary schools in Johor. He spoken up on the unfair and unjust allocations of places into the local public universities.

As transport minister, he opened up the can of worms and ‘the mother of all financial scandals’- the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco. We, the rakyat, have lost billions. Seemingly, powerful politicians have vested interests in this financial scandal. These vultures are out to get him.

Obviously, Ong has stepped on some toes of powerful figures. The question is - ‘What has Tee Keat not done for the Chinese community’?

I believe the responsibility of a leader to decide what is best for the people, party and nation may at times caused some unease. There must be times that he has erred, has not been able to fulfill his promises and made mistakes but I do not believe he should resign as MCA president.

MCA still needs Ong Tee Keat to navigate through these troubled and stormy times.