All is set for a three-cornered presidential fight in the MCA's fresh polls on March 28.

Incumbent chief Ong Tee Keat will be challenged by former president Ong Ka Ting and former deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Some observers likened the contest to be akin to the duels in the Chinese classic, ‘Romance in the Three Kingdoms’.

ong ka ting interview 200310 07 Although only Tee Keat and Ka Ting ( right ) have officially announced their intentions so far, political analysts believe that Chua too will join in the duel.

This follows the announcement by former vice-president Kong Cho Ha today that he will contest the deputy president's post.

Kong has been seen as aligned to Chua. He is widely speculated to be Chua's running mate as Kong has been seen with the former health minister in the latter's campaign trail.

Chua is scheduled to announce his candidacy tomorrow afternoon.

Kong is expected to face another former vice-president, Liow Tiong Lai, who is widely tipped to contest the number two spot by announcing his intentions tomorrow.

NONE Party insiders believe that Liow ( second from right ) will contest the deputy presidency as part of Ka Ting's line-up after former secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan, who is also Ka Ting's elder brother, decided not to contest any top party positions - either president, deputy president or vice-president.

"When Ka Chuan announced that he was not going for any post higher than CC (central committee), we can see the only ideal candidate left in the Ka Ting group for deputy president is Liow," one insider said.

Many party members are of the opinion that Ka Ting's supporters knew it would be inappropriate for Ka Chuan to go for a top post as this would give their political opponents some ammunition to criticise the possible formation of an  Ong ‘dynasty’ through the return of the two brothers.

"This would jeopardise Ka Ting's chances for the presidency. To avoid that, Liow would be the suitable candidate for the (deputy president's) position," he said.

Moreover, the insiders say that if Liow wanted to defend the vice-president's position, he could have done it much earlier and would not have waited until the last minute to make an announcement.

He would have followed former vice-president Dr Ng Yen Yen and two former CC members, Chor Chee Heung and Donald Lim Siang Chai, by announcing their intentions early, said one grassroots leader.

Attempt for a deal with Tee Keat

While it has become clear now that a three-cornered contest is on the cards, there is also intense speculation that various parties are trying work out some arrangements to avoid the race by the three formidable MCA stalwarts.

Party sources claimed that before Ka Ting announced that he was contesting for the top post, he had contacted Tee Keat to persuade the transport minister to withdraw from the contest in return for his government post to be maintained until the next general election.

This, according to these same sources, would ensure a straight contest between Ka Ting and Chua.

NONE Ka Ting, in a interview with a local television station yesterday, did say that there was a possibility that either he or Tee Keat would pull out.

But he did not give details.

Tee Keat's camp said Ka Ting's offer was ruled out by Tee Keat as his supporters said that it was not Tee Keat's nature to accept such an arrangement as he was already prepared to contest at all costs.

"There has never been any contemplation (for me) to call it quits," Tee Keat had said.

Between now and next Sunday, campaigning is expected to be intense.

Ka Ting has started to spread the word that he has returned to save the party and that party members need more than just an individual leader's effort but efforts from leaders at various levels as well.

"I'm only trying to restore the party's stability with the experiences I gained in successfully integrating Teams A and B while leading the party for five and a half years," said Ka Ting.

Tee Keat has also started his initial campaign blitz by asking party delegates to leave the “old” ways behind and to vote for a 'new' MCA as he believed that the majority of MCA members "want to see MCA transformed".

He said the election for the party's top post was not a “contest of personalities” or to determine who is “stronger” but rather an endorsement of the reforms that MCA needed to go through in the face of its worst general election results on March 8, 2008.

- Bernama