When the clock strikes 1pm, MCA's powerful central committee members will huddle together in the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

And all eyes are on this meeting, to see if the leaders of Barisan Nasional's second largest component party will end their two-month long infighting or launch a full-scale war.

azlan Not only is president Ong Tee Keat expected to reveal details of the 'greater unity plan', known as GUP for short, but today is also the last day for secretary-general Wong Foon Meng to send out notice of an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to central delegates.

Last Thursday, 16 CC members aligned to newly minted deputy president Liow Tiong Lai who were disappointed with Ong's GUP had requisitioned for an EGM to call for fresh party elections.

The main three factions led by Ong, Liow and former deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek respectively, need to make a decision in this afternoon's meeting - whether to accept the GUP, proceed with the EGM or stage an en masse resignation of the CC to force fresh polls.

Fresh polls to bargain for seats?

Liow, who is also health minister, and his supporters have been building up the momentum for an en masse resignation. The latest calls came from MCA Wanita and four party veterans.

Some party members see this as a move to increase Liow's bargaining power in today's CC meeting to ensure that his supporters will be included in the GUP which involves a reshuffle of the current leadership, from the national to state levels.

If a fresh election is called, Ong will not be able to defend his presidency on moral grounds since a vote of no confidence was passed against him during the Oct 10 EGM.

liow tiong lai pc 151009 03 Speculation is rife that the demands for a fresh polls is just a ploy by Liow's faction to increase their bargaining power with the president.

This is because the stakes are too high for Liow's faction to seek a new mandate since they control most of the party and government posts.

There is no guarantee of victory, especially when the deputy president was branded as a traitor by Ong's supporters.

Moreover, pushing for a fresh election goes against the wishes of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who wants the crisis in MCA to be resolved as soon as possible.

Liow's team 'best among the worst'

However, there is also the possibility that Liow is seriously pushing for a fresh election in order for him to 'legally and credibly' take over the leadership reins.

If fresh elections are held, Ong's camp will not be able to rope in heavyweight leaders to form a formidable team. The same goes for Chua's camp, which consist mostly of former leaders.

On the other hand, Liow's team includes the likes of Youth chief Wee Ka Siong and Wanita chief Chew Mei Fun.

NONE This makes a fresh polls a viable option for Liow.

For the beleaguered Ong, the last resort for him to finish his presidential term which ends in 2011 is to design a GUP that meets the demand of all three forces.

However, this is almost a case of mission impossible. With the limited resources available, Ong needs to include the marginalised Chua's faction and reward his loyalists while at the same time retain Liow's supporters in the leadership.

Options still open for Chua

Meanwhile, the situation is different for Chua and his supporters. Since they have nothing to lose in terms of party or government posts, they could opt for both the GUP or fresh polls.

NONE If the GUP fails to meet their expectations, they could join forces with Liow and win more party posts in the fresh polls based on their strong support among the grassroots.

On the contrary, they could continue to work with Ong to dominate the new line-up.

Today's meeting will show whether these leaders are really putting the party, community and nation first or whether they are just obsessed with playing the game of musical chairs.