KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and former deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek on Thursday agreed to work as a team and resolve the crisis in the party under a "greater unity plan".
Ong said Dr Chua agreed to work with him, without pre-conditions, to strengthen and unite the party, and had requested secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng to review the call for a second extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
"The greater unity plan has received the blessing and support of Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who has been briefed on the latest development," Ong told a news conference attended by Dr Chua at the party's headquarters here.
Also present were deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, vice-presidents Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, and Wong.
Ong declined to elaborate when asked on the "greater unity plan", only saying that the plan "not only outlines the details, like the five-year Malaysia plan, but also provides the platform for all to work together as a team."
Ong said unity was of utmost importance as there were still a lot of unfinished things which needed implementation for the benefit of the people and grassroots members.
"This is one of the unfinished jobs that I mentioned earlier. This is the beginning of the process. We all know that we need to put in our full commitment to make it work," he said.
Ong said he had also accepted the suggestion by Liow to work closely for the greater good of the party.
Asked on Dr Chua's role, Ong said both of them would cooperate for the benefit of the party, and that he was optimistic that the commitment would strengthen MCA.
"This is after taking into consideration the 47 per cent support obtained by Dr Chua in the last EGM and the nearly 50 per cent support I had in the EGM.
"I want to stress here that we gathered here today for the sole purpose of implementing the greater unity plan for the sake of party unity," he said.
Asked whether he and Dr Chua met the prime minister yesterday, Ong said: "I met the prime minister every now and then. Not only last night, in fact in the past few days."
Asked whether he would make good on his promise to step down as MCA president based on the EGM results, Ong said: "I have been cautioned by members of the public to remain in between the public's trust in me and the personal pledge that I made earlier.
"In the name of public trust, it's only fair that I, in my capacity as MCA president, endeavour to live up to the expectation of the people and members and we take full attention on the EGM results."
Dr Chua, when asked whether there would be any more exchange of words between him and Ong after today's meeting, said, "For me, it's simple. If people don't undermine me, I won't retaliate."
Dr Chua admitted that both he and Ong met on several occasions after the Oct 10 EGM and the latest was three days ago.
Dr Chua also thanked the prime minister for his encouragement and understanding, and added that Najib, in a closed door meeting with both of them yesterday, had advised them to unite.
He said that Najib had also told them that "for the sake of the party and BN, we should unite, stabilise the party and move the party as a team."
When asked on his status, Dr Chua said: "In my case, my membership was suspended and then (the suspension was) annulled through the EGM. Many senior lawyers felt that I should be the deputy (president) but I won't enter into a legal argument so I thought the best authority would be the Registrar of Society (ROS)".
Dr Chua has filed a letter to ROS to look into the matter.
On Liow's appointment as the deputy president, Dr Chua said, "It's not a question of whether I accepted it or not; in politics when you are appointed or reappointed, the most important is whether the central delegates accepted it or not, and I will just be very open minded with what the ROS has to decide."
Meanwhile, Dr Ng described the latest development in the party as something that party members had been hoping for.
"When the president announced that he and Dr Chua want to make peace, it was received well and I, as the vice-president, feel that this is a good thing because both of them have their own supporters.
"If they can share their strength and support, the party will become stronger and this is indeed the best formula," she said when met at parliament lobby.
Ng, who is Tourism Minister, said she was confident that the MCA was recovering and asked that party members give both leaders a chance.
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