KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 – With the MCA’s crucial central committee meeting just around the corner, the still-existent factions within the party seem even more deeply entangled in a mess of speculations, accusations and assumptions.
On the one hand, the party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s loyalists in the central committee (CC) seem determined on getting their leader to stay on despite Saturday’s vote of no-confidence against him.
They have urged Ong not to make any “drastic move” prior to their meeting this Thursday, despite his indication earlier that he would resign should he lose the confidence vote at the extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
On the other hand, there are also calls, including from the prime minister, for the results of the EGM to be respected and for fresh polls to be organised to make way for a new leadership line-up.
Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had told the CC to ensure that their decision was reflective of the EGM’s results, indicating that Ong should take heed of the central delegates’ lack of confidence in his leadership.
There is also a third hand – the so-called “third force” – through the voice of central delegate Datuk Tan Kah Choun, who is apparently the force’s spokesperson, which claims that the Chinese community is happy with the outcome of the EGM, and believes that fresh elections should be called.
In a statement, Tan said that the community was happy because from now on, they “do not have to argue over the right and wrong of Ong Tee Keat and (former deputy president Datuk Seri) Dr Chua Soi Lek.”
Tan also said that Ong and his men, including all his appointed members in the CC, should step down collectively.
“Barisan Nasional (BN) should be glad and happy to see this united ending. We hope that all BN leaders, and all those who support the democratic process, ensure that the president’s (Ong’s) resignation is fulfilled,” he said.
Tan also suggested that the party formed a “Veteran Consultative Council” to aid the party and added that both Ong and Dr Chua should be members on the council together to offer their “experience and expertise.”
Meanwhile, as if the party was not sufficiently flooded with problems, SMS messages have been spreading to a number of the Perak central delegates, alleging that Ong was blaming his vice-president Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha for his loss.
According to the SMS, which was forwarded to The Malaysian Insider, Ong said that Kong had been influencing the Perak delegates to vote against him.
The SMS, which inaccurately cited The Malaysian Insider as its source, claimed that Ong wanted vice-presidents Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai to take over his post as president and Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen as deputy.
One Perak central delegate, Alex Chan, said that this was grossly untrue.
“It is not true at all. The choices we made in the EGM were our own. Kong never influenced us,” he said.
He added that the spread of the messages was designed to create further rift amongst the factions in the MCA.
Kong, when contacted, said he, too, had no idea there was such an issue and assured The Malaysian Insider that he had never gone to the Perak delegates to orchestrate Ong’s loss so that he could be the next party president.
Amongst all the four party vice-presidents, Kong had polled the highest number of votes during the last party elections last October.
Kong however refused to say if he was interested in the party’s number one post and was careful not to comment on whether he felt that Ong should quit.
“I don’t want to speculate,” he said.
Regardless of his silence, it is clear that the MCA, despite Saturday’s outcome, is still drowning in a sea of problems and it may take more than one EGM or Ong’s resignation before the dust is cleared and the pathway to recovery is revealed.
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