theSun | TUESDAY OCTOBER 13 2009 3

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Chua and Fong call for fresh MCA polls

by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Former MCA
deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua
Soi Lek and former vice-president
Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn yester-
day called for the resignation of party
president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat
to pave the way for a smooth power
transition via fresh party elections.
At a press conference, Chua said
he had accepted the decision of
central delegates at Saturday’s ex-
traordinary general meeting (EGM)
rejecting him as deputy president.
“I hope he (Ong) will also accept
the decision of the delegates that the
motion of no confidence against him
was passed. Morally, when most of
the delegates passed the motion of
no-confidence against the leader, he
should step down.
“It is not right to rely on the party
constitution that the president can
only be removed by two-thirds of the
delegates in an EGM.
“ When your support has dropped
from 60% to 49% in a year and you
have failed to get the support of the
delegates within a month before the
EGM, it tells you that your time is up
and that the people can no longer
accept your leadership, so you have
to go now.”
Chua said he hoped the central
committee (CC) would keep its
promise when Ong said the entire
committee would collectively resign
if any of the three resolutions, which
were to move a motion of no-confi-
dence against Ong, reinstate Chua as
a party member, and reinstate Chua
as deputy president, was passed at
the EGM.
On whether he would contest in a
fresh party election, he said: “I do not
want to speculate anything until the
committee makes a decision.”
In a separate press conference,
Fong said the delegates had over-
turned the decision of the CC to
penalise Chua by reinstating him as
an ordinary member.
“The delegates had told the lead-
ership in no uncertain terms that
the disciplinary action taken against
Chua was unnecessary and it was
an action that indicated the lack of
wisdom on the part of the president,
presidential council and CC that they
were not able to feel the aspirations
of the grassroots.
“It is now time for the president
to honour his words to accept the
delegates’ decision and to take
the necessary action for a smooth
transition.”
Fong urged the CC to hold a fresh
election as it is no longer represent-
ing the aspiration of the grassroots
members.
“Party election is the best way
to reunite the party and bring back
order, dignity and a solid MCA,
otherwise the dissatisfaction among
the members will continue.”
Asked if he would contest a party
election, Fong said: “I do not want to
speculate.”

Kim Sai says Tee Keat

should step down
FORMER MCA deputy president Tan
Sri Lee Kim Sai says party chief Datuk
Seri Ong Tee Keat should resign since
the extraordinary general meeting
(EGM) has passed a vote of no-
confidence against him.
Lee, who is Ong’s mentor and who
has appealed to the central delegates
to rally behind the president on the
eve of the EGM, said Ong should
pick his successor and the deputy
president at the central committee
(CC) meeting on Thursday.
Speaking to Nanyang Siang Pau
on Sunday, he said without a vote
of confidence from the central
delegates, Ong has become a “lame
duck”, and it is difficult for him to find
an excuse to stay on.
However, Lee said, as the motion
of no-confidence passed by the
central delegates is only against Ong,
there is no need for the presidential
council and CC to resign en bloc.
He said for them to quit en bloc
along with Ong would worsen the
situation in the already unstable MCA.
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
of top leaders and start afresh.
“As Ong’s mentor, I feel helpless,
but I hope that before he leaves he
will pick a new pair which can sink
and swim together.”
Lee said MCA is almost a spent
force and the new team can no longer
afford to waste any more resources
lest the party would face a worse
setback in the next general election.
“If MCA does not improves but
continues to waste its resources, it
has to get ready to pack its bags at
the next general election,” he said.
On the EGM outcome, Lee likened
it to “death before rebirth” to pluck
MCA from its year-long stalemate.
He said it showed that the central
delegates are mature and have exer-
cised their wisdom. It also showed
that the central delegates are the

“The no-confidence vote did not
target any central leader apart from
the president. The revocation of the
presidential council’s decision to
sack (Datuk Seri Dr) Chua Soi Lek is
not a vote of no-confidence against
the council. As such, its members
need not resign en bloc.”
He stressed that the CC should
not retain Ong at its coming meeting
or raise the question of its resigna-
tion en bloc as such a question does
not arise.
Lee said although he has been
regarded as Ong’s mentor and he
appreciated the latter’s leadership
qualities he is at wit’s end over the
MCA debacle.
He said the only way out of the
debacle is for MCA to pick a new team
ANWAR FAIZ/THESUN
ones with the real power to decide.
Meanwhile, former secretary-
general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said
Tee Keat has a moral responsibility to
resign after losing the vote of confi-
dence at the EGM.
Chefs prepare vegetables at the PWTC kitchen. Food will be served to an estimated 16,000 people during the Umno assembly.
However, Jiao Zong (United Chi-
nese School Teachers Association)
president Ong Kow Yee begged to
differ, and said Tee Keat should con-
tinue to lead the party, China Press
Isa’s win inspiration for Umno delegates
KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Mohd Isa toric as it is being held twice within one accepted the premier’s post from Tun
reported yesterday.
Samad’s victory in the Bagan Pinang by- year, and it is also the first time that a Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the previ-
The vote of no-confidence against
election on Sunday will certainly be one of special assembly is being held during ous general assembly that, among other
the MCA president is against the
the hot topics among the delegates at the the general assembly. things, called for a wider involvement of
wishes of the majority of the Chinese
Umno general assembly beginning today. The assembly is being held twice Umno members in the party election.
community, he said, referring to polls
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, who has within one year because of the post- Earlier, the chairman of the Main
conducted by Chinese dailies which
helmed the party for only seven months, ponement of the party election, which Committee for the Constitution
showed that more than 60% of the
acknowledged that the victory by the should have been held in 2008 but was Amendment, Datuk Seri Hishammud-
readers feel that Tee Keat should stay
veteran Umno leader would provide a held in March this year instead. din Hussein, confirmed that among the
on but not Chua.
new inspiration to the party’s struggles. The special general assembly on proposed changes to be tabled at the
It was hoped that it would inspire the Thursday is aimed at amending the party meeting was the abolition of the quota

‘Appointees obliged to quit more than 2,500 delegates to push the

agenda for transformation promised by
the party leaders.
if president resigns’ The assembly this year will be his-
constitution, and if accepted, it will see a
more democratic Umno election.
This is a follow-up to the proposal
system for nominations of candidates.
The duration of the general assembly
this time is also shorter – four days com-
made by Najib in his speech when he pared with five previously. – Bernama

IF MCA president Datuk Seri Ong fate of Ong.

Tee Keat resigns, those who are
appointed to party posts by him
are obliged to quit too, China Press
reported yesterday.
Central committee (CC) members
whose jobs are at stake include
secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon
Ming and treasurer-general Tan
Sri Tee Hock Seng. The other key
appointed posts are the deputy
secretary-general, deputy treasurer-
general, organising secretary and
deputy organising secretary.
The report said once the president
resigns, the appointments he made,
including the nine CC members who
were appointed, will cease automati-
cally.
Sources from former deputy
president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi
Lek’s camp said the wisdom of the
CC members will be tested again on
Thursday when they decide on the
It remains to be seen whether
they would allow themselves to be
ruled by their heads or their hearts,
the sources said.
“If they retain Ong, they would
be going against the wishes of the
majority of the central delegates.”
The sources said the CC mem-
bers’ wisdom were first tested when
it decided to suspended Chua for
four years.
“The CC’s decision to suspend
Chua lacked rationality as it has
gone against the aspirations of the
delegates’ who voted him to the
deputy president post last year.”
The daily also said CC members
are already split on whether Ong
should be retained.
It also said Chua’s aides are scru-
tinising the party constitution in an
attempt to win back the No. 2 post
for Chua by legal means.
Learn from Onn Jaafar on when to quit: Dr M
by Maria J. Dass
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders whose ideas
have been rejected by their party mem-
bers should know when to step down to
avoid discord, former prime minister Tun
Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.
They should learn from the example
set by Datuk Onn Jaafar, the Umno
founder and its first president, who
relinquished his post when his ideas
to include non-Malays in the party was
rejected by the majority, Mahathir said
after launching the Umno Presidential
Address 1946-2009 book series.
Earlier, in his address, he said Onn
had succeeded in bringing together the
Malays, who were divided according to
the states ruled by different sultans.
“But despite his success in doing this
and becoming the first Umno head, he left
on his own accord because his ideas were
rejected by party members,” he said.
“If people do not agree with us or
with our ideas then we should pull out
to avoid any problems”.
Later, asked if he was referring to
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat,
he laughed and said: “I was talking about
what Onn Jaafar did; he was a gentle-
man and left the party honourably when
his ideas were rejected by Umno.”
Asked if Ong should emulate Onn,
Mahathir said: “I was talking about Datuk
Onn but if you want to learn from that
episode, then you can.
“This can be a guide for not just Ong
Tee Keat but the other person also, he
said, without revealing the person’s
identity.
Asked if he was talking about MIC
president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, he
said in jest: “Samy Vellu? I thought he
left long ago.”
Responding to queries on whether
Umno should interfere in the leadership
crisis in MCA, Mahathir said: “Umno
should not interfere, but BN should.”
“When I was president of Umno I
admit that I did get involved in a crisis
but not openly – I did it behind closed
doors and as chairman of the BN, not as
president of Umno,” he said.
The Umno Presidential Address 1946
– 2009 book series published by Berita
Publishing Sdn Bhd comes in a set of
six books costing RM200. The books
contain speeches by all six past Umno
presidents.