theSun | MONDAY NOVEMBER 2 2009 3

news without borders

to brief him on their sincere decision constitution. of indiscipline.

MCA’s hiccup affecting BN
News analysis by Ng Kee Seng
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
THE MCA leadership crisis started off
with a struggle between two factions
led by party president Datuk Seri Ong
Tee Keat and his former deputy Datuk
Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
By right, the crisis should have
ended when both Ong and Chua came
to terms with the outcome of the Oct
10 extraordinary general meeting
(EGM) and set aside the past to work
for party unity.
However, common sense was
not allowed to prevail as the party’s
third force, comprising comrades led
by central committee (CC)-installed
deputy president Datuk Seri Liow
Tiong Lai, interpreted the EGM results
differently as it opened a door for
them to take control.
The outcome of the 10/10 EGM,
generally resulting in a hung status,
had convinced both Ong and Chua
that they have almost equal influence
in the party.
For the sake of party unity and its
future, both quickly sat down to set
aside their differences, to stop their
bickering and to start consolidating
the party for the next 13th general
election.
However, the third force suddenly
realised that their ambition to occupy
the seats of the president and deputy
president is being jeopardised by the
Greater Unity Plan forged by Ong and
Chua, who had approached Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak
to end their dispute for the sake of
MCA and Barisan Nasional (BN).
Now to recap the actions and
words of the third force.
After the EGM, they wanted Ong
to keep to his word to resign. Under
siege, Ong invoked his presidential
powers to call for another EGM so that
the 2,380 party central delegates can
decide whether they want fresh party
elections.
Ong had reasoned that the prin-
ciple of collective decision by the CC
warranted that he should not take the
rap for party decisions alone.
The third force quickly shot down
Ong’s call for another EGM to let the
central delegates decide. Why? That
would mean risking their current posi-
tions in the party.
They continued to press for Ong’s
resignation, urging him to respect
the outcome of the EGM and party
Ong, however, has the party con-
stitution behind him as it is clear the
president can only be removed from
office in an EGM by two-thirds of the
central delegates.
When they realised that Ong is not
about to buckle under their continu-
ous pressure, they now say they want
the same EGM that Ong had called for
before the unity plan was forged.
Liow and his “comrades” in the CC
now claim that they were not con-
sulted by Ong on the unity plan?
While it is quite obvious the
unity plan was not detailed to Liow, it is
equally obvious that the gist of that plan
must be the ability of Ong and Chua to
work as a team, as they commanded
the biggest blocks of support.
Ong has also said he will table the
unity plan before the CC in due time.
But really, the most worrying de-
velopment in MCA now is the disease
The disease has spread to the
Barisan Nasional with Oct 29’s call in
Parliament by Sri Gading MP Datuk
Mohamad Aziz that both Ong and
Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu
Koon quit their party positions.
Mohamad Aziz claims Ong had
lost the confidence of his own party
and Koh had failed to perform as a
minister.
The call is dangerous for BN
because it not only smacks of inter-
ference and lack of respect for the
internal matters of other parties, but
will also trigger indiscipline in BN.
There is also the question of the
real reasons for the call and interefer-
ence. Is it Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)
fiasco-related?
Can the BN leadership afford to
just sit and wait until a situation when
its chaiman Najib has to call for his
version of a greater unity plan?

Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Tee Keat may disclose

details of unity plan
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong
Tee Keat may disclose details
of the greater unity plan at the
central committee meeting
tomorrow to stop his detrac-
tors in the CC from resigning
en masse to force a fresh
election.
According to a report in
Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday,
deputy president Datuk Seri
Liow Tiong Lai’s camp believed
that following Ong’s last-minute
cancellation of the Johor state
liaison committee meeting
yesterday – to announce the
appointment of former deputy
president Datuk Seri Chua Soi
Lek as state chairman – the
party chief seems to have
something up his sleeve for
the CC meeting.
Liow’s camp also believed
that Ong may reshuffle the CC
Chew with to pre-empt any attempt by
other Wanita Liow’s and Chua’s men from
called off the Johor liaison
committee meeting at the
eleventh hour out of fear that
Chua and Liow may join forces
to hit out at him.
A source from Liow’s camp
said Ong, who intended to
make Chua the Johor chief at
the state liaison committee
meeting scheduled yesterday,
had sensed something amiss
when three CC members
aligned to Chua on Friday
voiced their support for the
re-election of CC.
The source said a fresh
election forced by Liow’s camp
is already bad enough for Ong
as his support in the CC is now
down to six to seven members,
what more if Liow and Chua
join hands.
This prompted Ong to put
his “Johor reshuffle plan” on
hold, the source added.
“Nevertheless, Ong’s

Wanita MCA wants

members resigning en bloc to achieve change in mind is expected to
during their aim of having re-elec- annoy Chua and his supporters,
the press tion. further worsening the situation
conference Liow’s men, unhappy that within the party.”
yesterday. Ong is not playing by the rules, One of the CC members
has challenged the president who lobbied for a fresh elec-
to stop playing any more tricks tion, Datuk Liew Yuen Keong,

CC to quit for fresh polls

but to support the resignation said Ong and his supporters
of the CC en bloc and face should back the call and be
election. bold enough to face the central
They believed Ong has delegates.

Will MCA be forced into

by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Wanita MCA
yesterday reached a “majority con-
sensus” that it is necessary for party
central committee (CC) members
to resign en bloc to pave the way
for fresh party elections to end the
current leadership impasse.
Wanita chief Datin Paduka
Chew Mei Fun said the wing had
unanimously resolved that the
party constitution and results of the
Oct 10 extraordinary general meet-
ing (EGM) needed to be respected
but no one should be allowed or
perceived to be above the deci-
sion.
On Oct 10, the central delegates
had passed a motion of no con-
fidence against party president
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and re-
jected Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek
as deputy president.
However, the duo had decided
to call a truce by introducing the
Greater Unity Plan on Oct 22 with
the blessings of Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
The plan was not well received
by 16 CC members who are requi-
sitioning for another round of EGM
on Thursday to call for fresh party
elections.
“We believe this (fresh party
elections) will enable MCA to safe-
guard the integrity of the organisa-
tion and allows the party to move
forward. It is also to avoid troubling
the central delegates from travel-
ling for so many EGMs,” Chew told
a press conference after chairing
a five-hour Wanita CC meeting
yesterday.
Chew had refused to take any
questions from the press but said
the proposed EGM resolutions
would be forwarded to the CC in a
meeting on Tuesday called by Ong
to brief CC members on the unity
plan.
Chew, vice-president Tan Kok
Hong and Youth chief Datuk Dr
Wee Ka Siong had signed for the
requisition for a new EGM.
On Thursday, CC member and
EGM requisitionist Wong Nai Chee
said the group was still trying to
secure the support of two thirds the
CC members to trigger automatic
fresh party elections.
Wanita secretary-general Heng
Seai Kie, who is aligned to Ong,
said the resolutions was agreed
under the democratic spirit but
some of the wing’s CC members
had also supported the unity plan
and “these will be discussed in the
CC meeting”.
“We have voiced out our differ-
ence in opinions and there are no
right or wrong opinions. We have
to respect the party constitution
because it is the highest reference
for the party although the outcome
of the EGM did not carry its mes-
sage, so we have to look at both,”
she said.
Wanita CC member and Pen-
ang Wanita chief Tan Cheng Liang
said the unity plan must be given
a chance for the leaders to discuss
because it was a plan that could be
accepted by party grassroots.
“We do not have time to fight
against each other, it will be good
if unity plan can be accepted by
everyone. So we will let the CC to
discuss about it,” she added.
holding fresh elections?
Philippines EVENTS today and tomorrow
will be crucial to determine if
repairs MCA is to hold an extraordinary
damage general meeting (EGM) or see
after storm the resignation of the central
committee (CC) en bloc which
deaths will force fresh elections.
pg 8 Last Thursday, 16 CC mem-
bers requisitioned an EGM to
determine if fresh elections
should be held, but many of
them are now lobbying for the
CC to resign en masse so that
elections can be held.
According to Sin Chew
Daily, 10 (elected CC members)
out of the 16 have confirmed
they are ready to resign and
three CC members aligned to
former deputy president Datuk
Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek may be
ready to quit.
Party insiders said apart
from deputy president Datuk
Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who has
said that he supported a
fresh election, other elected
CC members who are likely
to agree to resign are deputy
treasurer Datuk Edward Khoo
Keok Hai and Datuk Gan Tian
Loo.
Some CC members lobby-
ing for fresh elections are said
to be talking to others in the
committee and they are hop-
ing to rope in deputy secretary-
general Datuk Loke Yuen Yow,
Datuk Paul Kong Sing Chu, Dr
Por Choo Chor and Gan Ping
Sieu. Their aim is to get 20 to
resign en bloc.
The CC has 31 elected
members but with Chua being
suspended from his post and
with the demise of another, it is
left with 29 elected members.
This means if 20 CC
members quit, they can force
fresh elections based on the
party constitution that a fresh
election should be held if
two-thirds of the CC members
resign or requisition for it.