When Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would step in to help resolve the split within MCA, the leaders of and spokesmen for both Teams A and B publicly welcomed the suggestion as reported in MCA split: Mahathir to meet Ling and Lim 'anytime now' .

As it should be — not only because PM is held in reverence by the contenders but most importantly, because he holds the powers of patronage. After all, the whole point of contention between feuding parties is the struggle for leadership positions and cabinet posts, which is the Prime Minister's prerogative to confer.

(The Prime Minister is fast gaining the stature of being the final arbiter and solver of all disputes, national and international — examples are the disputes between the NUTP and Education Ministry, the West and the Palestinian/Muslim world and now eams A and B of MCA).

Team B is however in a quandary and dilemma as regards its intention to go ahead with the controversial extraordinary general meeting on April 21.

The Prime Minister had just met Dr Ling Liong Sik, Dr Fong Chan Onn and Ong Ka Ting of Team A in Putrajaya, and the MCA leaders had the advantage of presenting their views to him in his formulation of "an agenda for stability and peace".

Most important, the prime minister "had expressed concern over Team B's intention to proceed with the EGM in defiance of the party's leadership", and said that he was "convinced that problems in MCA could be resolved through discussions. Lim Ah Lek of Team B on the other hand was still awaiting an appointment with the prime minister to tell Team B's side of the story, as reported by Sunday Star (April 14).

The prime minister is leading a 160-member delegation on a week-long visit to Morocco, Libya and Bahrain from today.

This means that if Ah Lek could not confer with the prime minister yesterday, to receive his blessing for Team B's intention to hold the EGM on April 21, what would Team B now do since it is obvious that by that date, the Prime Minister would still not have been back yet?

According to MCA Youth deputy secretary-general Liew Tiong Lai and Serdang MCA division chairman Yap Pian Hon, the proposed EGM requisitioned would proceed as scheduled on April 21 ( Sunday Star , April 14).

I really don't think so.

As the prime minister had already expressed displeasure at the EGM as a means to resolve MCA's problems, to proceed ahead in his absence would tantamount to defiance and disrespect of his wishes, which Team B's top leaders could ill-afford in view of the prime minister's stature and powers of patronage.

By seeing only one side (Team A), expressing his reservation on the proposed extraordinary general meeting and then going for a week-long states visit extending beyond the proposed date (April 21) of the EGM, the prime minister has effectively done the job for Ling to neutralise for the time being Team B's plans to hold the EGM.