The Chinese Malaysian political scene is now arguing over whether it is ethical to appoint Dr Chua Soi Lek as a minister.

Chua was caught having sex with a woman but not his wife by a hidden camera late last year. Within days, he held a press conference and courageously admitted to his indiscretion and resigned from his ministerial position and went into the political wilderness.

Last week, he fought back into political limelight after beating the establishment candidate for the deputy presidential office of the MCA, the second largest political party in the BN, the ruling coalition government.

As a matter of political convention, the MCA is allocated with four full ministerial positions so the MCA deputy president can legitimately, by virtue of being in the second most senior position in the party, ask for one of the four slots.

The attack launched by Chua's opponents (the so-called Camp A including the sitting party president Ong Tee Keat and the losing deputy presidential candidate, Ong Ka Chuan, brother to former president Ong Ka Ting), argues that someone with moral indiscretion is not fit to be elected to the party office and now, made a minister.

The debate is coded in the classic Confucian language, centering on competence and ethics.

Failing to thwart Chua’s election to the party post, the opponents now seek to thwart his appointment to the cabinet. Paradoxically, the anti-Chua protagonists do not denounce those who set up the hidden camera and who distributed the recording - both of which are despicable and illegal acts.

The tenet of their argument is basically that Chua's appointment, by reason of his extra-marital affair (or rather the fact that it was recorded on video), will lower the estimation of the MCA and the Chinese in the eyes of BN coalition partners and the Malaysian public with a large Muslim majority.

It is poignant to recall that ethics and competency are qualifications to be a public officer according to the classic Confucianism. Chua is portrayed as wanting of ethics.

Set against this background, the question is whether there is a difference between public ethics (in this sense we may well call it political ethics) and private morality.

All the attacks on Chua are with regards to his his hotel room escapade and not his competence or his public/political ethics.

Based on the party elections result, Chua's violation of private morality became a heated issue during the campaign but it did not stop him from making his political comeback. The MCA delegates have largely absolved him of his private moral indiscretion.

This in large part is a recognition of Chua's political judgment and survival skills. Chua is widely perceived as being a responsible politician after he took the step to resign following the hidden camera recording.

His resignation is commendable and he returned to seek a mandate from the people to see if he would be forgiven and re-accepted. First however, he secured his spouse and family's forgiveness.

Then his son stood in for him, contested and won the March 8 parliamentaty election, for the seat Chua previously held. This amidst the heavy nationwide electoral losses for the MCA. He won by proxy.

Finally, he won the tough MCA deputy presidential contest last week. These three separate and related events vindicated and redeemed him personally and politically.

The result can be analysed as the MCA grassroots valuing competency and also public/political ethics as greater qualification to a party/public office. This result is also in line with the secular and meritocratic values of the Chinese Malaysian.

The holier-than-thou altitude or peeping (or rather secretly recording) Tom behavior is not supported and I find this reassuring as a sign of political maturity. Competency and public/political ethics in favour over private moral misbehaviour.

At all times, competency and public/political ethics should be held as more important requirements for holding a public office. Cronism, nepotism, corruption, abuse of power, dishonesty and racism in the Malaysia context are greater impediments to good governance.

Chua has won the party mandate to be appointed to the cabinet and the prime minister should exercise his prerogative to make him a full minister.