http://www.iht.com/articles/28487.htm

Mahathir Seeks to Rally Ethnic Chinese Party

The Associated Press

Monday, August 6, 2001

Bickering Shakes Pillar of Ruling Coalition

KUALA LUMPUR Barely a year ago, Malaysia's largest ethnic Chinese political party looked like the strongest pillar in Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad's ruling coalition, boasting immense support from the minority community whose interests it represented.

But now, the Malaysian Chinese Association's meetings are rife with calls for top leaders to resign, criticism over poor decisions, and - most recently - members hurling stink bombs and chairs at each other.

Mr. Mahathir, speaking at the party's annual congress Saturday, joked that the government's political vertebra was suffering "backaches," which officials warn could cause a migraine in the group's struggle to patch up lost confidence and reunite bickering leaders.

"Don't forget your responsibility of ensuring the MCA remains strong to lead the country together with the other ruling coalition components," Mr. Mahathir told nearly 2,000 delegates. "There may be differences in opinions, but the fact is that you are all in one party, from one race."

The Malaysian Chinese Association's woes started last year after ethnic Chinese lobbyists separate from the party appealed for an end to policies that favor the ethnic Malay Muslim majority in education, jobs and business contracts, causing Mr. Mahathir to describe them as "Chinese extremists" harboring a Communist agenda.

The Malaysian leader's remarks infuriated many ethnic Chinese - a quarter of Malaysia's 23 million people - especially when the party president, Ling Liong Sik, appeared to bow to Mr. Mahathir's wishes and sought withdrawal of the politically sensitive demands.

Earlier this year, Mr. Ling became embroiled in the Chinese party's most contentious issue in years when he launched its 230.1 million ringgit ($60.5 million) bid to buy out the Nanyang Press newspaper group, which publishes two influential Chinese-language dailies.

Heavy internal dissent forced the party to convene an extraordinary general meeting last month. Delegates voted by a razor-thin margin to endorse the deal, which Mr. Mahathir said was necessary because the newspapers were too critical of the government.

But Mr. Ling is still facing intense pressure ahead of his party's internal elections, scheduled for next year, during which party officials who opposed the newspaper takeover could mount a serious leadership challenge.

"There are those who still use the Nanyang issue to try and destroy me and my family," Mr. Ling said at Saturday's party congress, without identifying these people, whom he also called "irresponsible and immoral."

Delegates at the meeting voted unanimously for a high-level committee to study possible amendments to the party's constitution, including a popular proposal to limit the tenure of party leaders. Mr. Ling has been the party president for 15 years.

Opposition leaders hope the conflict will hurt the party in Malaysia's next general election, scheduled for 2004. Chinese support helped the government win the last election in 1999, when many Malay voters shifted allegiances from Mr. Mahathir's party to a fundamentalist Islamic group.