opinion

While it cannot be known for sure if MCA vice-president and lawyer Chua Jui Meng read criminology or criminal psychology during his undergraduate years, he certainly appears to know a great deal about how a certain cast of crooked minds operates in politics.

On Dec 23, the New Straits Times quoted him as saying that the suspension of MCA Youth is "akin to Reichstag burning". For those who do not understand modern European history, Chua explained:

"When he (Adolf Hitler) came to power in the 1930s, there was a strong opposition against him. You know what he did? He burnt down the Reichstag, which is the German parliament. Then he pointed his finger at the opposition and accused them as the ones who started the fire. He then manipulated against them, terrorised them and victimised them."

In the lexicon of security studies, those who commit acts of similar nature in order to blame it on others are called agent provocateurs.

In that specific case cited by Chua, it was the elected government of the German National Socialist Worker Party, or popularly known as the Nazi Party, which committed the crime and blame it on the opposition parties so that they were feared and hated by the credulous, malleable and timid members of the public.

It was also used as a pretext or justification for the proclamation of emergency, concentration of executive power, detentions without trial and clampdown on the free press.

Police report

However, in citing that infamous case which occurred in Berlin on Feb 27, 1933 as an analogy, Chua seemed to be defending MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat against open charges made by the party's committee of veterans, that it was Ong, among others in Team B, who 'planned' and 'instigated' the fist-fighting and chair-throwing fracas in the Aug 3 MCA Youth annual general meeting.

For the public record, Ong did lodge a police report a day after the fracas but law enforcement does not seem to have run its natural and logical course. Nothing has since been heard publicly about the progress of police investigation.

Ong has also vehemently denied the charge levelled against him and his team mates by the report prepared by the veterans committee, which was appointed by the Ling-dominated central committee, and which had in effect taken over the role, function and public power of the police, prosecutor and judge.

However, there is still a persisting and reasonable belief that it served the interests of the anti-Ong faction to have the fracas started to provide the pretext for actions against the combative Youth chief and his Youth central committee.

It seems that the controversy, or rather the mystery, over the real causes or culprits of the Aug 3 fracas may never be known for certain, but it does serve to remind observers of MCA politics that Machiavellianism has reared its ugly head again in the open in the intense power struggle.

Political trap

Another recent case, which is of less public interest and no criminal intent, is the appointment of Ong to head an MCA Youth campaign team in the forthcoming Indera Kayangan by-election in Perlis.

To the uninitiated, such an appointment is an honour. But for Ong, it is meant to be a political trap - if MCA wins, it would instantly and publicly be credited to the 'wise leadership' of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and MCA leader Ling; but if it loses, Ong would most likely be blamed for 'poor and ineffective performance'.

And so, Ong has rather foresightedly rejected the appointment offered to him by veteran Wang Choon Wing, the head of the receivership of the MCA Youth central committee.

Instead, Ong has, as reported by Sin Chew Jit Poh today, volunteered to campaign for the Barisan Nasional in his capacity as the vice-chairperson of the BN Youth. The chairperson is his ministerial boss, Umno Youth chief and Minister for Youth and Sports Hishammuddin Hussein.

According to the Malay news website, AgendaDaily , Hishammuddin has openly acknowledged Ong as still the MCA Youth chief, despite the fact that Ling has dismissed him to be a 'non-functioning' leader.

Meanwhile, Perlis Menteri Besar Shahidan Kassim was reported by Sin Chew as 'praising' Ong for his dedication to the BN. This alluded to the fact that Ong is being placed under Umno's protection, at least from now on till the conclusion of the Indera Kayangan by-election.

High risks

While Ong is 'safe' and 'secure' from his 'persecutors' in Ling's MCA, for the embattled Youth chief to campaign for the MCA candidate in Indera Kayangan still carries three high risks - two for himself personally and another one for MCA and BN.

One, how would Ong reply to charges made by the opposition that he is 'hypocritical' because while he demands justice, democracy, and an end to cronyism, nepotism and corruption in MCA, he defends the Internal Security Act and laws which are widely regarded as oppressive? How would Ong defend MCA under the leadership of his arch rival, Ling?

Two, if Ong has offended and alienated the ethnic Chinese by defending what they see as unjust and discriminatory policies of Umno and the BN, where would he go if he is defeated in the party elections next year? Who in the Chinese community want to help him? Surely, Ong, as a Chinese, cannot join Umno;

Three, the fact that Ong, a highly controversial personality in MCA, campaigns in a constituency contested by MCA, could cause a split in the rank and file of the local MCA team which is also divided into Team A and Team B; and the thousands of MCA members and supporters from all over the country - all divided into factions - could destabilise the BN campaign by quarrelling about party matters.

The best option for Ong seems to be to avoid campaigning altogether. Clearly, this is a situation of head, Ling wins and tail, Ong loses. Ong should prepare to battle for the long haul. Indeed, there is no need for him to rush to prove his loyalty to Umno.

JAMES WONG WING ON is chief analyst of Strategic Analysis Malaysia which produces the subscriber-based political report, Analysis Malaysia . Wong is a former member of parliament (1990-1995) and a former columnist for the Sin Chew Jit Poh Chinese daily. He read political science and economics at the Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. While in Sin Chew , he and a team of journalists won the top awards of Malaysian Press Institute for 1998 and 1999.