By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - The Malaysian InsiderKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 — Any hope that the MCA power tussle will end after the party’s EGM vote this week could be dashed with speculation growing among members that Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat will not quit even if the vote goes against him.
Ong, the party president, had said last month that he would step down even if just a simple majority of MCA delegates vote to reinstate Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek as deputy president.
But party insiders now claim that Ong has now backtracked and has told them he would not quit.
Ong was not available for comment.
“Ong is now afraid. Now he’s saying that he would quit only if two-thirds of the central delegates agree to adopt the resolutions,” said a party source
“It’s really contrary to what the president had said in the past-that he would quit if majority agrees for Chua to be reinstalled as the party deputy president,” added the source.
Chua was sacked by the party’s presidential council after he was accused of tainting the party’s image following the distribution of his sex DVD, a scandal the former MCA no. 2 claimed was the doing of his political rivals.
A day after the sacking, supporters of Chua initiated their EGM campaign in a move to allow their leader to return to the party and oust Ong.
The party’s powerful central committee, dominated by Ong’s men, in a move to fend off the possibility of a damaging rebellion led by Dr Chua, then decided to annul the sacking and suspend the latter’s membership for four years instead.
This move, however, has proven to be futile as Chua and his men have decided to continue to engage Ong in a do-or-die battle.
At a function yesterday, Chua unveiled a manifesto for this weekend’s campaign and said he was ready to helm the party.
But he pointed out that the EGM was not a bid at a power grab.
While pointing out that he wanted to revive and rejuvenate the party, he promised there would be no witch-hunt if he took over the party.
No comments:
Post a Comment