The Wee Meng Chee’s National Anthem controversy has been mismanaged at the outset. BN’s top leadership should have listened to wiser counsels and diffuse the controversy by magnanimity than escalating it by recommending prosecution after an apology. As much as Meng Chee’s parody of the national anthem might have touched on certain sensitivities [the part relating to Muslims calling to prayers (adzan)] for which he had apologized, what he articulated however struck a resonant chord with non malays, especially the Chinese, of what is wrong with the country, which is the reason why MCA took it upon themselves to broker a satisfactory closure to the controversy.

To acquiesce with MCA’s intervention to solicit an apology from Meng Chee and yet proceed with prosecution is a betrayal not only of Meng Chee but also the broker because if the law were going to take its course anyway, then the apology was not necessary, as, whatever had been said, the deed of pursuing prosecution evinced that the apology was not accepted. Now by rules of fairness, if you demand for an apology it must be an express or implied quid pro quo arrangement that you let the “contrite” party off which was the basis why the 2 BN MPs of Jasin and Kinabatangan who made the infamous sexist “bocor” remarks were let off with an apology without further disciplinary action.

To demand and get an apology and yet prosecute the offender is having the cake and also eat it, taking all and giving nothing back, and taking two bites of the cherries which is not in accord with gentleman fair play.

Why is this so – because you’re dealing with the MCA? This is where the bigger issue of whether MCA is in a smaller vis-à-vis bigger UMNO brother relationship or Master versus Servant relationship comes to the fore, albeit on the eve of general election.

When a Rotweiller pushes the cat to the corner, even the cat will fight ferociously back. That is why in all negotiations and test of wills, one does not push the weaker party to the corner where there is no room for the one cornered to maneuver to save face except to hit back! It is a recipe for disaster in the relationship.

Although what MCA Youth has done may be sandiwara, it has every potential of escalating. What the Youth Wing has done is effectively to embarrass Deputy UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin in ways not entirely gentlemanly (taking advantage of his not knowing Mandarin) – an open defiance of UMNO!

If I know them better, there is really nothing in the world that matters more to UMNO members than face and it is something that they may take any costs and would fight for!

In the premises it almost predictable that UMNO would return the insult with gun blazing opening a way to a showdown.

Of course it is also predictable that MCA would in all probability back down and eat humble pie but if that is going to the necessary end result why should MCA Youth come out with such fiery speeches in the first place to score points so that they might lose more points later? This does not make sense.

MCA’s top leaders Ong Ka Ting/Chan Kong Choy and UMNO’s have cause to worry on how to manage this looming clash between their respective Youth Wings and how much its fall out will generate pressures on the top leaders.

The eventual downfall of BN, if it ever comes, will be by “implosion” with their components getting each other throats.

Sharing of spoils of patronage and largesse albeit unequal distribution is an incentive for so long as there’s strong leadership….but when the leadership (of BN as a whole and its individual component parties)is perceived, everyone in notches below will try to be a “taiko” and assert his/their positions leading to a internecine conflict within the grouping that occasionally may lead to a conflagration. Maybe this could be the instance.

“…//……I beg to disagree….UMNO Youth will not escalate the tensions between them and MCA Youth at this juncture – the eve of general elections. Kit is right, this is sandiwara of the highest order so that the Chinese papers can carry one version, and the Malay papers can carry a watered-down version…//..” – Godfather.

Yes, agreed too, I would think that what is suspected – a grand sandiwara for MCA to show some “spine” to its constituents for the coming election – is true.

It must be in part a reaction to the recent polls in June by Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research which determined generally Malaysian Chinese voters’ unhappiness with the government’s policies and predicted an surge of Chinese votes towards the opposition in the next elections. The PM even told the MCA delegates that any leader practicing discriminative policy was not fit to be a leader in Malaysia. “I have been fair, I want to be fair and I will always be fair. That is my promise,” he reiterated to the thunderous applause from the floor.

But what I earlier said that there is really nothing that matters more to UMNO than face and acquiescence by other component parties of its hegemony – that it is the big boss – is equally true. How does this weign in the balance against sandiwara even if necessary for collective interest of BN in the coming elections?

Sandiwara with no immediate escalation of conflict between UMNO & MCA Youth arms will play out smoothly if all abide by the decision – and leadership directive – of the top leaders of the component parties.

The only part that I am not too sure is whether all will play by the rules of this so-called sandiwara (which has been staged often enough in the past).

And the reason for this is that I sense that of late there are many occasions of a breaking of ranks (caused by internal divisions and jostling of power within UMNO especially) whether or not encouraged by a perception of weak or flexible, easy leadership or otherwise, that may make the best of plans including sandiwara go awry.

At least that is what many would find interesting to see. :)