The MCA 'war' that is now decelerating to a whimper is very normal. The duel between Team A and B is common in any political party when people are fighting for power. Wars have been fought throughout MCA's history — first between the Tuns: Tan Siew Sin and HS Lee, later between Neo Yee Pan and Tan Koon Swan and now, Ling Liong Sik and Lim Ah Lek.

For MCA outsiders, this battle is what Chinese refer to as kui da kui which literally translates as "a fight between ghosts". The Chinese do not really care which team wins as the victory does not bring any significant changes or improvement to the plight of the community.

Party members however watch the fight keenly as they have a stake. If their faction wins, this could lead to their getting a better post in the party.

Party leaders can talk about principles and party constitution, but at the end of the day, any Yang Berhormat in MCA will just grovel their way over to the victor to ensure their own survival in the party. This is a fact for everyone to see.

The divisional elections have just been postponed and the no-contest ruling for all party posts has just been declared. Nobody yet knows the exact details of the so-called "peace plan" proposed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Speculations are rife on what will happen next and which side actually scored more points with the peace accord. Everybody is guessing but there is a likelihood that under the "peace plan", Ling would reluctantly agree to resign sometime in the near future, possibly just after the next general election. That is why Lim Ah Lek will not challenge him this June for the party's presidency.