Leaders in Crisis

That best sums up what is happening in the MCA! But, I don't think it is a problem specific to the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is a partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional government. It is a problem with nearly all the political organisations, or, maybe, even with all established organisations!

The issue isn't a leadership crisis -- that would imply that leaders are scarce. The issue is that the existing leaders are in a crisis, meaning something is wrong with their leadership or leadership styles or their personalities and their followers want them to take stock. Existing leaders need to take a good look at themselves to see if they are fit to lead or serve, whether they have overstayed their leadership, whether they can see the errors they are making, whether it is time to step down and move on and, more pertinently, whether their followers want them to lead them.

And they need to have the courage to stand down if their time is up -- as it should have been with the MIC, the Malaysian Indian Congress. Because the leaders didn't make way for a new crop of leaders, see what has happened to the MIC -- it has become a dead duck.

In MCA's case, the delegates have sent a clear message: They have rejected the existing status quo. The alternative is plain for all to see: Have fresh elections to elect the leaders the members want.

The MCA political gamers took a huge risk in going for an EGM. They lost and their own political futures are at risk. But, you have to give them credit for going to their members to find out what the latter really wanted. That, indeed, is democracy at work -- even if politically manipulated. A leadership without the support of the people it wants to lead is really a dictatorship.