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Soi Lek: Setting aside personal feelings in 2013 MCA elections

Editor’s note: This is the eighth part of a series of excerpts from former health minister and MCA president Chua Soi Lek’s book, 'Like Me or Hate Me: Rising from the Political Ashes'.

BOOK EXCERPT | The 2013 party election was the first time I was not involved directly as a candidate since I first stood for a position on the central committee in 1989.

But while I was not an active participant, as the incumbent president I had to ensure that the AGM and party election proceeded smoothly. If there were any hitches, my comrades would put the blame on me.

That said, I was definitely much more relaxed. Finally, I no longer felt the burden and pressures resulting from my position as party president.

Discouraging factionalism

In the 2013 party election, it was important that I put my personal feelings and preferences regarding the major candidates aside. I had not only to be fair but also to be seen to be fair. With this in mind, I refused to openly endorse any of the presidential or deputy presidential candidates.

Of course, as MCA president, I had always had an uneasy relationship with Liow Tiong Lai. Because of this, my supporters expected me to campaign openly against his candidacy. I refused. I also resisted pressure to publicly endorse Tiong Lai’s opponent, Gan Ping Sieu.

On many occasions after the May 2013 general elections I had described Tiong Lai as a weak and indecisive leader. But as the party elections approached, I thought it would be wiser not say anything that would exacerbate party factionalism. Besides, I did not believe in fighting proxy wars.

However, I did campaign for candidates standing for the positions of vice-president and central committee member. I knew that when Tiong Lai became president, he would revoke the party’s earlier decision not to enter the cabinet. And having done that, he would likely be appointed as a minister.

As a former cabinet minister and party deputy president, he already had a lot of influence during the campaign leading up to the 2013 party election. By supporting candidates that were not part of his group, I hoped to prevent a clean sweep by Tiong Lai and his team in the central committee.

My son, Chua Tee Yong, stood for one of the vice-presidential positions. He had his own team, which consisted of another vice-presidential candidate and 16 other candidates hoping to be elected to the central committee.

During the campaign, I talked about party unity and stressed that the new president should not attempt to sideline everyone who did not agree with him. The MCA should not practise the politics of vengeance. There should be no witch-hunt.

Instead, after the election all elected central committee members should work as a team. The party could not afford to be torn apart yet again. The new president should be big-hearted enough to accept all successful candidates. Labels such as “Chua’s people” and “Liow’s people” had to be avoided...

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