Liow still No 2, says former MCA legal adviser

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Former chairman of MCA’s legal bureau Datuk Leong Tang Chong today claimed that Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (picture) is still the party deputy president as the Registrar of Societies (RoS) never reinstated Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek to the post.

“The RoS merely said that from the information supplied by Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek, ‘we are of the view the post of deputy president is not vacant’,” Leong told a press conference showing a copy of the letter from the RoS.

The RoS’ letter was in response to Dr Chua’s request for clarification on his status after he was reinstated as MCA member at the party’s EGM last month.

Dr Chua was earlier suspended from the party by the central committee.

Leong, who now acts as legal adviser to Liow, said the health minister had written to the RoS yesterday asking it to review its decision.

Ong continues to hold on to the party presidency despite losing a confidence vote during the MCA EGM on Oct 10.

He has now aligned himself to Dr Chua — his fiercest enemy — with the two men agreeing to a “greater unity plan” which critics say is merely to carve the party out for the two and their supporters.

During the Oct 10 EGM Dr Chua had his membership reinstated but delegates did not specifically return him as deputy president.

The EGM’s outcome caused the central committee to appoint Liow as the party’s No 2.

“Earlier RoS said it has no jurisdiction, after that complete U-turn,” said Leong, who was recently sacked as MCA’s top lawyer by Ong after disagreements with the party president.

He also said that the central committee had decided after last month’s EGM not to let the RoS interfere in party matters.

On the request for another EGM by Liow’s faction, Leong said the MCA constitution allows the requisitionists to issue notices for the EGM if the secretary-general fails to do so.

MCA secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng had rejected the call for an EGM by 16 central committee members aligned to Liow.

Leong also explained that the resolution for the EGM, calling for fresh party polls, is constitutionally valid.

Ong, too, had earlier planned to call for an EGM to allow fresh party polls, but abandoned the idea in favour of what he called the “Greater Unity Plan” — the actual details of which remain a secret between Ong and Dr Chua.