ANALYSIS The new MCA line-up appears to be one of compromise between the party's two largest factions, with both sides scoring well.

 

The top two positions were won by the long time allies Liow Tiong Lai and Wee Ka Siong.

 

Although Wee beat Donald Lim for the deputy presidency convincingly, Liow only managed to scrape past Gan Ping Sieu for presidency, beating him by just 186 votes.

 

This means that Liow had managed to secure just a little over half of the 2,352 votes cast.

 

Without a strong mandate from the delegates, it would be easy to cast doubts on his ability to bring change to a severely battered party and raise the flaccid morale of the grassroots.

 

However, Liow's faction had done reasonable well in the election, bagging the deputy presidency, having two members among four elected vice-presidents and 11 out of 25 central committee seats.

 

Much of this has to do with the underlying narrative - the unity plan - coming into this election.

 

No more feuding please

 

Liow and his predecessor Dr Chua Soi Lek had struck a deal to avoid a fractious election that had plagued the party many times before.

 

Thus the "unity list" was formulated as a means of sharing power between the two factions. Eventually, the outcome of the central committee election came close to that of the unity list.

 

Several senior MCA delegates have told Malaysiakini that their fellow delegates know that MCA cannot afford any further internal disputes before the next general election.

 

"We want the top two positions to be fielded by people from the same faction because history has shown that MCA's troubles are always due to the top two fighting.

 

"Liow and Wee have proven that they can work well together while Gan only teamed up with Donald for this election. Their ties are not strong," said a senior delegate who declined to be named.

 

On the other end of the spectrum is the faction loyal to Soi Lek, who has two elected as vice-presidents and 14 elected as central committee members.

 

Although they have the numbers now, their influence can easily be negated once Liow decides on 11 more positions to fill - secretary-general, deputy secretary-general, organising secretary and eight co-opted central committee members.

 

Transformation

 

For now, it seems both factions are happy with the configuration of power.

 

"There is no need to second guess the central delegate's decision. The most important thing is that we accept it, not guess the reasons behind it. That is a never-ending story," Tee Yong told reporters.

 

As for Gan, he seemed magmanimous in defeat and hoped that his supporters would back the new line up.

 

"Liow managed to garner over 50 percent of the votes. In other words, the central delegates have given him a firm mandate and I wish to congratulate him," said Gan, who also opined that the election has been conducted fairly.

 

With the peace plan appearing to be in place, the path appears to be clear for Liow to implement his strategies and policies, or administer a dose of " political viagra " which BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak believed will give MCA a morale boost.

 

Speaking to reporters after his victory, Liow immediately urged the party to close ranks and work towards transforming the party.

 

"What grassroots elected is a strong and united team, they can cope with task of reviving the party," said Liow, adding that the first central committee meeting will discuss about ways for MCA to rejoin the cabinet.

Contributors: Ng Ling Fong, Wong Teck Chi, Koh Jun Lin, Kow Kwan Yee, Kow Gah Chie, Lee Long Hui and Lee Weng Keat.