When it comes to politics, especially involving MCA members (I say members because Ong is just an ordinary MCA member without any party post), any political story or analysis published by The Star is with Chua’s consent and blessings. This means it is the party’s political stand and policy – whether it is harmful to BN is irrelevant.
Sebastian Loon
The Star’s analysis “No calm before the storm” (June 21, 2012) is most telling on the party and its leadership’s intolerance to dissent, human rights and democracy.
It is also a classic display of vindictiveness and selfishness that will surely bring down Barisan Nasional (BN). The analysis by Joceline Tan, a very senior journalist, is flawed in many ways, biased and factually incorrect in certain ways.
However, I would give her the benefit of doubt that she was ordered by her bosses to come up with such a crappy analysis. She has many bosses – the top being the morally-tainted MCA president Chua Soi Lek.
Before Chua engineered his way to become party president with the help of then president Ong Tee Keat, who foolishly broke ranks with his BN leaders to expose the Port Klang Free Zone multi-billion-ringgit financial scandal, The Star was controlled by MCA via its investment arm Huaren Holdings Bhd.
To wield 100% control of The Star, Chua used MCA to acquire majority stake in the paper and placed The Star directly under the control of a three-member panel, one of whom is his son Tee Yong.
Can you then expect The Star to provide fair coverage, not only to Ong but also to all who disagree with the party leadership? Can you also expect the paper to provide fair coverage to the Opposition?
Therefore, when it comes to politics, especially involving MCA members (I say members because Ong is just an ordinary MCA member without any party post), any political story or analysis published by The Star is with Chua’s consent and blessings. This means it is the party’s political stand and policy – whether it is harmful to BN is irrelevant.
To put it crudely, The Star is Chua and MCA’s mouth piece, not a newspaper per se.
And what was the analysis about? Read it, and without doubt, it is about promoting PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli as a possible candidate in Pandan to try and unseat incumbent Ong in the next general election.
Now, since when has The Star been so generous to provide such a glorifying report to turn Rafizi into a hero for PKR at the expense of BN, that too an MCA incumbent?
BN insiders’ feedback is that Ong is likely to be picked by BN chairman Najib Abdul Razak as a winnable candidate to defend Pandan in the next general election.
Unable to influence Najib to drop Ong, Chua and MCA start sabotaging their own member with the bias news analysis. After the March 2008 political tsunami that saw BN losing its two-thirds control of Parliament, MCA and BN have been struggling for political survival in the next general election.
Despite this, the MCA turns a blind eye, acts selfishly to waste its resources to bring down just one man. What the MCA failed to see is that their vindictive sabotaging ways will bring about negative effects to the BN, not only in Pandan, but also elsewhere.
Am I very wrong to believe what MCA insiders are saying? That it is Chua and MCA’s de facto wayang kulit (shadow play) to disown Ong, even if he is picked by the BN chairman to defend Pandan for the ruling coalition?
