Fresh MCA polls must comply with party's constitution

2009/11/23

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has no qualms about having fresh party polls in March if MCA's electoral system involving divisional delegates is ready, said the party's non-governmental liason bureau chairman Datuk Ti Lian Ker. Ti said Ong had never objected to fresh party polls being held.

"He wanted to seek a fresh mandate from delegates during the party's Oct 15 Central Committee (CC) meeting. However, he cannot force a fresh election without complying to the party's constitution," he said in a statment here today.

He said Ong was the first person who had mooted the idea of fresh polls but was opposed vehemently by leaders who were not in favor of it.

"The proposal was resisted by Vice President Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and some members of the Central Committee who shot it down during the Central Committee Meeting on Oct 15," he said.

Ti, who is also a CC member, said this surprised the party president as he had thought that the CC members, who had sworn to stand by him, would vacate their CC seats en bloc to pave the way for fresh polls.

"Nobody including the President can dissolve a CC that is duly elected in accordance with the Constitution.

The Greater Unity Plan (GUP) was thereafter proposed and accepted by Deputy President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and his supporters and was put into action to unite the party towards a fresh election when tempers had cooled down and the delegates were clear of the issues facing the party," he said.

Ti said, however, the Greater Unity Plan (GUP) was not accepted by Liow and company and that they had instead insisted on an immediate election without regard to the grassroot sentiment during the GUP briefing that wanted the party to settle down first before calling for a fresh election in about six months.

"It is such a mockery that Liow's group is now harping on a fresh poll as if it's their brainchild because they were deliberately silent on their objection to the idea (of fresh poll) mooted by the President earlier," he said.

Ti said in the interest of the party, everyone should be able to discuss and settle problems internally from within the party and that there was no necessity to force a perception that MCA leaders were unable to sit down and discuss disagreement in an amicable manner.

MCA has been embroiled in an internal crisis and last week Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also the chairman of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition of which MCA is a member, had met the leaders of the warring factions to try and help resolve problems in the party.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is handling the issue on behalf of Najib as the latter is overseas on official business, said he was giving himself one week to find a solution to the leadership crisis in MCA. - BERNAMA