KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Twenty MCA Central Committee (CC) members, known to be aligned to party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, have submitted a requisition letter to the party to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to revoke its earlier decision not to take up government posts.
The letter was submitted by three requisitionists led by MCA organizing secretary Tan Chin Meng and two other central committee members Datuk Edward Khoo Keok Hai and Datuk Ei Kim Hock to the party’s chief administrative director, Lim Chin Hai, at the MCA headquarters here today.
“The requisition consists of 20 signatures of the current CC members which is more than enough to meet the requirement of one-third of the CC members.
“Apart from that, we also requested for a motion to censure deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai during the EGM,” Tan said when contacted here today.
Under the party constitution, the EGM has to be called if one third of the total 42 CC members request for it.
Tan said the EGM should be called to revoke the party resolution passed at the MCA’s annual general meeting in 2011 and 2012, to allow party members to accept ministerial, deputy ministerial or any other cabinet posts.
“There is a lot of confusion on the decision. Some take it, some not. Therefore, to solve the issue, party members will be allowed to accept appointments such as senators or any other positions in government, such as hospital visitor board and government-linked companies, state exco, council members and village chiefs,” he said.
Therefore, Tan explained, the only way that a party member could be allowed to hold such positions again was if the party EGM overturned the earlier decision.
He also explained that the 20 CC members requested to censure Liow during the EGM as they believed the former health minister had refused to accept and respect the collective decision made by the party’s decision-making body, as well as for the party’s poor performance in the recently-concluded general election.
“It is only a motion to censure, not a motion of no-confidence. We are not seeking motion of no-confidence but merely to censure him because Liow, as the MCA General Election Steering Committee chairman, has to bear responsibility for the performance of the party,” he said.
Meanwhile, MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha when contacted, confirmed that the party headquarters had received the requisition from the 20 CC members to call for an EGM.
“We will look into this during our (emergency) CC meeting this Thursday,” he said.
— BERNAMA
