The penumpang issue raised by an insignificant UMNO divisional chairman Ahmad Ismail has stirred up immense waves in the Chinese community here, which has not been tamed to the least even with the apology offered by deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

At the height of their upcoming party elections, both MCA and Gerakan feel that there are deficiencies in the manner this issue has been handled by BN's top brass, resulting in heightened emotions that may culminate in the eventual withdrawal of these two parties from the ruling coalition.

Gerakan Rakyat acting president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon said his party would not want to become the "yes man," and that he did not rule out the possibility that Gerakan might pull out from BN. While the MCA leadership has stressed that it will not pull out from BN, party president Ong Ka Ting made it very clear that he could not accept the prime minister's explanation.

Ong's tough stance has been rare among MCA's presidents, past and present. What Koh and Ong have said to a large extent represent the unwavering stand of the Chinese community, that the manner with which the PM is handling this issue is unacceptable to the Chinese community. Talks of MCA and Gerakan pulling out of BN, as well as the strongly worded messages delivered by the Chinese community must be treated with due respect by various component parties of BN.

BN has managed to sustain its leadership so far mainly because of a high degree of tolerance among non-bumiputras towards the extreme racist discourse of some politicians. Nonetheless, the Malaysian public have firmly voiced their desire for reforms in the March general elections. If MCA and Gerakan fail to get the message from the election results and initiate the necessary reforms, they will be slapped with an even more powerful lesson in the next elections.

Looking back at our nation's history, we have not forgotten that during the Alliance era, or after the late prime minister Tun Abdul Razak declared at Merdeka Square on 24 August 1974 the official establishment of Barisan Nasional, the principal objective of the coalition has been to promote a united and harmonious Malaysia, establish a fair and rational society, and to promote cooperation among its component parties.

It is because of this spirit of cooperation among UMNO, MCA, Gerakan Rakyat and MIC that BN has been seen by all as a symbol of equality, fairness and prosperity; and has been able to sustain its leadership on this multiracial, multicultural and multireligious land for half a century.

When BN celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003, it vowed to continue foregoing racist mentality, extremism and any other form of violence in a bid to preserve religious, racial and national harmony so that Malaysians of all ethnic groups could live in harmony and peace.

However, taking a look at what's happening today, can we say BN has worked hand in hand to protect the interests of all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion and to establish a truly harmonious society as it has once pledged? How much can MCA and Gerakan, as the major Chinese-based political parties in the country, do in the face of extreme, ethnically inspired remarks and unfair policies arising from within UMNO?

After the March general elections, in particular, MCA and Gerakan have been plagued by the government's unfair policies such that they were opted out by the Chinese community, experiencing their worst ever defeat in history. There have already been voices emerging from within these two parties calling for them to severe their ties with the ruling coalition.

In the meantime, PKR's plan to topple the government by 16 September has added yet another veil of mystery over the current political situation in the country. Perhaps 916 is just another number, or a time code, but behind such a code is the tug-of-war between the ruling and opposition alliances which must never be overlooked by us.

As for the roles to be played by MCA and Gerakan in this political tug-of-war and what they can contribute towards the future developments in the country's politics, these two parties must really handle with a lot of prudence in order not to get marginalised.

In other words, MCA and Gerakan have now come to a crossroad, at which they must decide whether they should continue to stay within BN and be its loyal partners, or map out their own plans and future directions without BN.

The tolerance among Chinese voters has been stretched to a limit, but what befalls MCA and Gerakan could as well be a blessing in disguise. Perhaps this is an opportunity for them to implement changes from within and reinvent themselves afresh in a bid to win back the faith of the Chinese community. (Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)