Many ponder about the motive behind the calls for Ka Ting's potential political comeback, which had been made by his hardcore supporters and some leaders known to be previously associated with him.
Some say it is due to their genuine concern that the elections may get out of hand and the polls may not solve the party's current problems.
Hence, the best option is to bring back a leader who had previously been successful in unifying the party to a certain extent.
But some party members believe that the calls are due to some power play behind the scenes, including talk that came from outside the party as well as the need for a strong candidate to face Ong Tee Keat and Dr Chua Soi Lek.
They believe that the actual move by Ka Ting's supporters, who are now
mostly behind former vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, is to put up a strong candidate.
Liow cannot be sacrificed
Sources close to the Liow group contend that Liow could not be sacrificed for the position of number one while former MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan is perceived as a "weaker candidate" to run for number one as he was once defeated in the contest for the number two position.
Both Liow (right) and Ka Chuan will be seen as the weaker candidates in facing Tee Keat, who has already announced that he would defend his presidency, as well as Soi Lek, should the latter decide to go for president.
The Liow and Ka Chuan groups are said to lack strong firepower as far as candidates are concerned to take on the number one position.
Therefore, the best option available is to get Ka Ting, the younger brother of Ka Chuan, to come out of retirement and lead the faction.
The other factor is that some of Liow's supporters, namely former Central Committee (CC) member Wee Jeck Seng, Dr Hou Kok Chung, Wong Nai Chee and Wanita chief Chew Mei Fun, are known to be Ka Ting's hardcore supporters, and may not be comfortable working with Soi Lek or Tee Keat now.
Uncomfortable with Soi Lek
The same goes for some supporters of former deputy president Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy who now stands strongly behind Liow, and is also said to be not comfortable working with Soi Lek (below) over the latter's controversial sex DVD and issues related to the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).
Soi Lek's supporters suspect that the sex DVD issue was a move to kill their leader's political career although this had been denied by other factions, while Kong Choy's supporters are said to be not happy with the way Tee Keat is pursuing the PKFZ investigations.
"Therefore, they have no other choice except to urge Ka Ting to make a comeback and lead them in battle as they have no intention of teaming up with Soi Lek or Tee Keat," said a former CC member who declined to be named.
Whether the real need is to "salvage the party" or have a strong candidate is really something open to interpretation.
For political analysts, should Ka Ting decide to join the fray, it would
bring a new dimension to the MCA polls.
However, supporters of both Soi Lek and Tee Keat (right) still do not believe that Ka Ting would make a comeback as they claim that he would not risk his hitherto unblemished political image.
"If he loses, what will happen? More embarrassment for him. You also have to keep in mind that if he decides to make a comeback, the political alignment will totally change again," said a Tee Keat supporter.
- Bernama
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