ONE said the leadership of his party may be liars, another questioned his party's use of the ISA and the third said he is the 'Obama' of his party.

As the song goes 'there's a whole lot of shaking going on' as three men - one each from the dominant Barisan Nasional members Umno, MCA and MIC - have been making waves in their respective parties.

MCA's Dr Chua Soi Lek and the big bluff

The party is facing turmoil as MCA No 2 DrChua Soi Lek is upset that he may not be given a minister's post in the imminent cabinet reshuffle.

He told news website Malaysiakini yesterday: 'I don't want my leaders to tell me that it is Prime Minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) who doesn't accept me, when they (MCA leaders) had not even submitted my name.'

Dr Chua called the MCA leadership liars.

'If I discover that they have not submitted my name to the PM and yet say it's the PM or Umno who don't accept me, then (they) are bluffing. If the MCA leadership can bluff even the deputy president, they can also bluff the Chinese community.'

Speculation is rife that Dr Chua, 61, who had abruptly quit his government and party posts in January for being embroiled in a sex scandal, may not be given a cabinet post despite creating an upset of sorts by winning the deputy presidency.

By convention, MCA president Ong Tee Keat - as head of the party - will recommend names to the prime minister as to who should fill the ministerial posts allocated to the MCA.

However, he has thus far kept silent on his choice of candidates.

Asked what he would do if he is not named a minister, Dr Chua replied: 'Let's wait and see.'

Asked to describe his relationship with Mr Ong, Dr Chua acknowledged that there was 'no warmth'.

He said: 'When I talk to a person and I find that a person doesn't open up, I feel there is no point for me to pursue it further... (Our relationship is like) he is the boss and I am one of the staff, there is no warmth,' he said.

MIC'S Obama

A former MIC vice-president has spilled the beans on the inner working of the MCA.

Mr M Muthupalaniappan told the Sun he is ready to challenge party chief Samy Vellu for the top job, but admits that fear of expulsion may dissuade members from giving him the required 50 nominations to be able to contest.

Mr Muthupalaniappan, who lost in his bid for a party vice-presidency last year, said: 'There is this fear among branches of being victimised by the president later for nominating someone other than him for the post.'

The MIC will hold its presidential election in March next year, while elections for all other top posts, including those on the central working committee, will be held six months after that.

Mr Muthupalaniappan is no slouch when it comes to self-promotion either.

He told the Malaysian Insider after he decided to contest Mr Samy Vellu: 'Party members are already calling me the Obama of MIC, the force to oust Samy and bring a major leadership change in the MIC,' he said. 'There is an urgent need for a leadership change to bring back Indian support for the MIC.'

Datuk Muthu, as he is popularly known in the MIC, said he is fighting 'independently and is not allied with any leaders.'

'I am fighting on my own merits and on my own agenda, which is for change,' he said, denying speculation he is allied with yet-unidentified MIC leaders and is the point man of a group aiming to force out Mr Samy Vellu.

'I shall and will bring change to MIC and to the community,' he said.

Umno and Mr No-Holds Barred

Former Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim sent shockwaves through Umno when he challenged the big boys with his stringent views on the need to bury the New Economic Policy (NEP), promote meritocracy and repeal the ISA.

Political analysts told Malaysian Insider that Mr Zaid is just too big and too bold for Umno and the Umno power brokers feel they are better off without him.

Mr Zaid, who joined Umno in 2000 and who was suspended once as Kota Baru division chief for 'money politics', might be either suspended again or sacked.

Mr Zaid himself minced no words in a 10Nov article in Malaysiakini about his party and its need for change.

'Even if the leader of Umno wants real reforms and not cosmetic ones, the crop of top leaders in the party will oppose it,' he said.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Nov 15, 2008.