MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek's intention to make a comeback to active politics is aimed to bring fresh hopes and reforms to the divided party, said party leaders close to him.

Former vice president and Serdang MP Yap Pian Hon said he is glad that Lim is preparing to re-activate his political career and that Lim's move will be greatly welcomed by the Chinese community and the people at large.

"This is great, many party leaders and Chinese associations' leaders are very happy to hear about this. This goes to show that Datuk Lim [Ah Lek] is a very popular and well regarded personality," Yap said when contacted by malaysiakini today.

"He is sincere and honest, the party needs a leader like him...this will bring new hope to us and we know our party need reforms," Yap who is also the MCA new village affairs bureau chief added.

On Wednesday, Lim announced his intention to return to active politics at a mammoth dinner rally in Seremban where 26,000 supporters turned up to hear him speak and to show their support for him and his Team B leaders.

Since late September, Lim has hinted that he would be ready to make a political comeback if his involvement in the next general election could make the ruling Barisan Nasional stronger and attract more Chinese Malaysians to support the coalition.

Numerous requests

Prior to the 1999 general election, Lim announced that he would not be running for public office anymore, saying that he preferred to spend more time with his family and have a simpler, less hectic life.

However, the former human resource minister and Bentong MP did not give up the MCA deputy president's post.

Lim also revealed at the Seremban function that his comeback decision was made following numerous requests he received from MCA and other BN leaders. He added that he would not like to let his friends in the BN down.

According to Yap, he was aware that several top Umno leaders had also advised him (Lim) to become active in politics again as the party is facing many internal problems.

It is believed that many top Umno leaders feel that Lim would be an asset to the BN as they are aware of his capability to deliver the Chinese votes to the BN in the next general election which must be called by November 2004.

Respect Lim's rights

Contacted for his comment today, MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat said the decision of Lim to return to active politics must be respected by all quarters.

"It should not be turned into an issue by any quarters as Lim's rights must be respected," he stressed.

"Dr Ling [Liong Sik] also announced that he wanted to resign before but he did not. He stayed on as party president. Likewise, Lim should not be prevented from coming back," Ong asserted.

Asked whether Lim was prepared to take on Ling for the party presidency, Ong did not dismiss the possibility.

"To contest the president's post is within Lim's rights. That (post) is not a hereditary one. Anyone has the right to contest", he said.

"In short, the important thing for me and our party grassroots is to make things happen in the interest of the party," the Youth chief stressed.

Both Yap and Ong are prominent figures in Lim's Team B.

MCA, which claims over one million members and is the second largest party in the ruling coalition, was split openly into two camps Team A led by Ling and Lim's Team B since the party took over two Chinese newspapers last year.

Subsequently, in the run-up to the party election, Team B claimed that hundreds of thousands of phantom members had been recruited to 'help' Team A leaders in securing their posts. But Team A said it was an unfounded allegation by 'insecure' Team B leaders who wanted to derail the party polls.

Not comeback, an issue

The bad blood grew worse to the point that Prime Minister and BN head honcho Dr Mahathir Mohamad had to intervene in the feud in April for fearing a backlash in Chinese support for the BN.

The premier brokered a peace deal between Ling and Lim where a no-contest ruling for all party posts was imposed.

Meanwhile, party's central committee member Donald Lim Siang Chai said the Lim Ah Lek's announcement recently should not be defined as a "comeback" as it was merely an issue stirred up by the latter's faction.

"Nobody ask him to quit (from his ministerial post) last time and he is still our party's deputy president leading the party, so how can that be defined as a comeback?" he told malaysiakini when contacted.

Siang Chai, a staunch supporter of Ling however conceded that Ah Lek's decision was within "his rights to do so."