PETALING JAYA, May 14 – Embattled MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek found an unlikely source of support in DAP national chairman Karpal Singh.
Karpal said Chua should not bear the brunt of MCA’s dismal performance in the recently concluded 13th general election.
“Political vultures hovering around him baying for his blood should realise the poor performance of the MCA should not be on the shoulders of Chua alone but the entire MCA leadership.
“They should be man enough to take the blame. Had the MCA performed well in the elections, Chua would have been hailed a hero by these very political vultures,” he said.
Six Penang MCA divisions and 15 former top leaders have openly called for Chua’s resignation, saying that he should immediately pave the way for new leadership to be elected.
However, Chua said that he will remain as president until the party elections, expected to be held by October.
“I will not go just because a few people want me to step down. I’m accountable and responsible for the poor results of MCA but I’m not the only one responsible.
“And I have made my stance clear that I will not seek re-election,” he said at a press conference after the MCA presidential council meeting over the weekend.
MCA suffered a dismal outing in the May 5 general election, taking only seven parliamentary seats and 11 state seats, down from 15 parliamentary and 31 state seats in 2008.
Karpal: ROS clarification welcome
Karpal also stressed that Chua should be given every opportunity and space to prepare his party for the upcoming party elections.
“Chua has tried his best to steer the MCA from its dismal performance in the 2008. It has not been easy for him. He had to rise from the abyss after the sex video featuring him surfaced.
“He also said that MCA would not seek any government posts in the event it was rejected by the electorate. True to his word, he has done just that,” said the Bukit Gelugor MP.
Karpal said that Chua should be left alone to pick up the bits and pieces of his political life which is now in tatters.
“A man in his plight should not be allowed to be exploited by his enemies. I wish him all the best and hope that he will be able to get up and get on with his life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Karpal welcomed the Registrar of Societies’ (ROS) director-general Abdul Rahman Othman’s statement that DAP may not be penalised over the party’s CEC election fiasco.
“The clarification that there was no problem for DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng to allow DAP candidates to use the rocket symbol in the general election is welcome.
“Just because the present central executive committee was not being recognised, did not mean that the line-up preceding the CEC election was not valid,” said Karpal.
He added that that was the reason why the rocket symbol was allowed to be used in the general election.
Karpal hoped the clarification by the ROS will put an end to the calls by various quarters that the use of the rocket symbol had nullified the election of all successful DAP candidates.
He reiterated that the DAP will give the ROS every cooperation in its investigation into the complaints made over the legality of the election of the CEC in December last year.
“No doubt, there must be closure to this matter as soon as possible,” said Karpal.
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