MALAYSIA: Age is recurring theme in elections

KUALA LUMPUR (New Straits Times), May 28, 2005:

DATUK Wira Dr Fong Chan Onn is wrestling with an age-old problem within the Malaysian Chinese Association in his bid to retain the party vice-president’s post in the August elections: his age.

Being the oldest incumbent vice-president at 62, and having been minister for as long as party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Fong has become an easy target for his younger opponents.

Snide remarks are circulating about how the Human Resources Minister has overstayed and is taking up a place that, his detractors insist, should rightly go to a younger leader.

Fong’s aides may be loath to admit it, but in the absence of any compelling vote-winning controversy, his age has become by far the single most contentious issue being used by his opponents to try and dislodge the three-term vice-president.

As it turns out, age is a recurring theme in this year’s elections. Since Ong and his deputy Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy took over in May 2003, "renewal" and "rejuvenation" have become buzzwords in the party.

Ong was 47 when he took over the party reins and Chan, 48. After the prolonged Team A-Team B crisis ended with their elevation, expectations ran high for the two younger leaders to rid the party of the baggage left by their predecessors, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek.

The campaign to attract young professionals into MCA launched last year also helped breathe new vigour into a party with a largely ageing membership.

"Yes, the mood is quite different now. Members expect to see infusion of new blood," says Ayer Itam Member of Parliament Dr Wee Ka Siong, an engineer who stood in his first general election last year.

Wee, who has an impeccable command of Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin, represents the young, highly-educated leaders the MCA is trying to promote.

The Young Turks’ eagerness to assert their presence was evident during the divisional nominations on Tuesday.

In Serdang, for example, incumbent Datuk Yap Pian Hon is being challenged by his one-time protégé and Seri Kembangan Assemblyman Datuk Liew Yuen Keong.

The same is also happening in Gopeng, where deputy chairman Datuk Dr Ho Wai Cheong is planning to unseat his longtime chairman and party secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh.

In Tebrau, a group of leaders allegedly sent an ultimatum to incumbent chairman Michael Goh, who had led the division for 17 years, to step down. Goh was at that time hospitalised in Singapore.

He died of a heart attack on May 6, two days before the deadline set for him to announce his retirement.

Divisional polling is scheduled for tomorrow.

At the national-level elections, age is also expected to figure prominently during campaigning. As it is, a few over-eager young leaders have passed comments about how Yap, Ting and vice-president Datuk Chua Jui Meng, having "been there and done that", should make way for a new generation of senior leaders.

Wee says the old-young contests seen in many divisions are partly due to the suspension of proper party elections for six years. The prolonged duration has bred a group of impatient young leaders raring to change the status quo.

Yap is all fired up when the subject of age is mentioned: "Who is to say that a 62-year-old leader like me should quit when my constituents returned me for the third time in Serdang during last year’s general election? Don’t insult my voters.

"Why are my opponents calling me old and incapable when voters think otherwise? MCA members who say leaders above 60 should quit should look at other Barisan Nasional leaders."

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is 65, Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik is 66 and MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, 69.

Fong is not bothered about being tagged "old". "Physical age is not relevant. Experience and capability count and these are qualities delegates look out for."

The former University of Malaya economics professor is also a staunch believer in "old is gold".

He adds that when the MCA-run Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman was first approved, he played an important role in forming its International Advisory Council — thanks to the former dean’s extensive network of friends in academia and from a two-term stint as Deputy Education Minister.

"When delegates vote for a vice-president, they will look at how a candidate can fit into the president’s and deputy president’s team. They look at the big picture. They want a good mix of young and old," says Fong who won the Alor Gajah division’s top post uncontested on Monday.

Clearly, Fong is banking on the hope that delegates will want a 62-year-old vice- president as an "anchor" in the team led by Ong and Chan, who are 49 and 50 respectively.

(Incidentally, Chua, Yap and Ting are also 62.)

For these "veterans", the rallying call to ward off challenges from upstart young leaders is lao zhong ching, Mandarin for a mixture of young, middle-aged and senior leaders. That theme has been emphasised with increased vigour of late.

Fong says while nobody can hold on to a post forever, those capable and willing should be given a chance to serve.

Even Wee concedes that members want a good mix of youth and experience in the top leadership ranks.

"All this talk that those above 60 should not contest is nonsense. It boils down to whether you can contribute. There are some leaders like Datuk Wong Mook Leong (also 62) who have served continuously on their track record," says a central committee member.

Wong has been a central committee member since 1977, and has served under four presidents.

But there is a difference between the publicity-shy Wong and leaders like Yap, Ting, Fong and Chua: Wong has not held any government post while the rest are perceived as harbouring ambitions that extend beyond party positions.

"The party posts are a platform for government posts. At the end of the day, government posts matter more. For example, some people want to defeat Fong in the party in the hope that he will lose his ministerial post.

"Age being made an issue is just an excuse. Contenders are bent on eliminating anyone who blocks their way," a Selangor leader says.

A branch chairman says at the end of the day, delegates will consider a combination of factors, including track record, age and the dynamics of political patronage, when casting their votes.

But given the intensity of this year’s elections, it is a lot easier for aspirants to harp on something quantifiable like age than on subjective matters like track record and leadership qualities.

By Chow Kum Hor