KUALA LUMPUR, July 29- MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the party’s issuance of cancellation notices to 22 Cheras MCA branches, followed a directive from the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
“The termination of branch operations is not our decision, we are only complying with ROS instruction to inform them,” he said in a statement here Saturday.
He also stressed that any MCA branch not recognised by the ROS would not be allowed to hold an election or annual general meeting.
Nonetheless, Cheras MCA division chairman Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng questioned why the MCA leadership was only taking action now, as the allegations were made on 22 of the 68 branches which had not sent their branch annual meeting reports since 2011.
Tee said the division was only aware of the problem on July 8, this year, through a notice by the MCA headquarters.
“Even if we did not comply with the procedure, why raise it now when the matter took place about two years ago?,” he asked at a news conference here today.
Tee hoped the MCA headquarters, especially party secretary-general Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha and ROS would resolve the problem quickly to enable 2,500 members of the 22 branches elect their leaders at branch, division and central levels.
He said they had lodged complaints with the head office after receiving the notices, and the MCA headquarters had issued letters dated July 18, that only one branch, Taman Cantek, had fulfilled Section 14 of the Societies Act 1966 by sending in its annual statement and was thus, allowed to resume operation.
“Why were the other 21 branches not revived when they also met the condition in sending annual reports each year?” he said.
Meanwhile, Kong in a press statement yesterday, said the problem arose when the 22 branches did not adhere to the condition under Section 14 (1) of the Societies Act 1966, that is, sending their annual reports each year.
Kong’s press statement was disputed by Tee who claimed the branches involved sent their annual reports on time, each year.
Tee wants Kong to go to the ground and explain to the members of the 22 branches who were dissatisfied with the party leadership’s action in preventing them from holding branch and division elections.
– BERNAMA
