The season for division

Is it the nature of the beast?

For political parties to split …

… because of strong (self centered) personalities? Or the pie is too small?

There is a saying that there is even honour among thieves, but alas, not so with pollies ….. prob because they are worse than thieves wakakaka.

The Godzilla of all party splits had to be the Titanic struggle between Mahathir and Ku Li. Ku Li was the PM we didn’t have.

The following one between Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim didn’t quite reach Olympic proportion, prob for the reason the greater majority of UMNO factions were actually glad (and perhaps had plotted) to see Anwar ousted. Yes, the Anwar faction was deeply feared in UMNO for its feral take-no-prisoner mentality.

Next, the MCA was (and may still be) in centrifugal flight until the recent ‘greater unity’ plan brought Ong Tee Keat and Chua Soi Lek together, … well, at least for the immediate period.

But this truce may not be long in tenure unless Chua Soi Lek’s faction sees it too has a long term stake in the party’s future.

Lurking behind all this is MCA newly minted deputy president Liow who is now seen by both blocs (especially Ong Tee Keat’s loyalists) as opportunistically treacherous.

And there is that mysterious 3rd force which is more likely those previous leaders ousted by a combination of Ong Tee Keat and Chua Soi Lek’s factions, the Ong Ka Chuan group.

Though Liow has been accused as being behind the 3rd force, I suspect he is not but had merely exploited a unique situation following the 10-10 EGM to abandon his so-called place ‘beside’ Ong Tee Keat and went for broke to climb over a besieged Ong. He and a few others in the MCA central council decided that Ong ought to be the sole sacrifice.

Aiyoyo, the MIC had recently considered a MCA-style EGM to get rid of Samy but alas, the man is just too powerful to dislodge, so as usual the wannabe but kiasu MIC revolutionaries will continue to suck up to his whims and pleasure.

However, S Subramaniam has come to realize he lacks the mass to overcome the Vellu obstacle, so poor old Subi is considering leaving MIC with his bloc. But being a realist he knows that outside MIC, an Indian based party doesn’t have much room to manoeuvre apart from annoying Taikoh, UMNO. So ... how man?

Much as Najib made a play on Makkal Sakthi, prob to give MIC a kick in the pants, I don’t believe the party with the hijacked name will have much future ..... maybe at most a Datukship for Thanenthiran who’ll end up like Koh TK, a powerless so-called leader heading a near-dead party which is now a pale shadow of what the 1969 Gerakan Party was.

But Koh TK (and Gerakan) is still useful to Najib and UMNO, to (1) prevent migration of its members to either PKR or DAP, or even, god forbid, MCA, and (2) to have a stooge to forestall, frustrate and f*up MCA as and when required. UMNO doesn’t like a too-powerful and uppity MCA – thus it uses Gerakan as and when required to divide and conquer the pro-BN Chinese community.

PPP? Poor Kayveas must be livid with rage but biting his tongue as Najib ignores him by keeping non-BN member Murugiah as a deputy minister. Like Subi of MIC, Kayveas knows that that outside BN, an Indian based party (though PPP purports to be multi-racial) doesn’t have much room to manoeuvre.

Kayveas had long realized the PPP is nothing more than a pimple on the BN’s backside (note: D.R Seenivasegam rolling in his grave), and was intelligent enough to attempt merging his PPP with Gerakan but alas, his gambit was spurned, diplomatically by Koh TK and less so by Lim KY wakakaka.

He had hoped to be a VP of Gerakan-PPP and through that, continue to offer himself as a federal candidate and eventually a full minister in the BN cabinet.

Quo Vadis Kayveas?

Then PAS? Tok Guru Pak Haji Datuk Nik Aziz has decided that ‘nuff is ‘nuff, and that pro-UMNO Pak Haji Hadi Awang and his henchmen have to go.

Perhaps TGNA wants to save the Pakatan which has been seriously and deliberately undermined in Selangor by Hadi’s man Hassan Ali? Perhaps TGNA cannot stand the very thought of PAS people lying in bed with the enemy?

But the Ulamas are resisting his demand for an EGM, knowing they had a lucky escape in the last party election when the Erdogen faction was split. Now it'll once again be a confrontation between the Erdogen faction led by TGNA against the Ulama faction led by ‘Malay unity’ champion Pak Haji Hadi Awang.

Will the party split asunder? TGNA has openly stated he is quite prepared to see that so long as he can get rid of the pro-UMNO faction (mainly the group collectively called the Ulamas).

And in dear PKR, we see glimpses of new thoughts that maybe Anwar Ibrahim may not be indispensable after all – Zaid Ibrahim is gradually gaining stature day by day by his dignified demeanor.

There is also new intra party schism caused by the ambition of Azmin Ali, and the reluctance of Anwar Ibrahim to curb his favourites like Azmin and the Kulim Wonder.

And an obituary note on Hindraf:

Here lies a once great movement
That had wanted its people to be free
It’s now itself no longer independent
Shackled by its own leader’s hubris

'Tis the season for division.