Lee’s sacking douses anti-Chua movement?
Even though he’s been sacked from the party, ex-MCA central committee member Lee Hwa Beng believes the anti-Chua fire he’s stoked within the party will continue to smoulder.
Leven Woon, FMT
Former MCA central committee member Lee Hwa Beng’s aim to start Anthing But Chua (ABC) movement to oust party president Dr Chua Soi Lek has been nipped in the bud.
His sacking by the MCA central Committee on Oct 3 put paid to his ambition to start a movement from within the party to eject Chua.
The party reportedly sacked him because he had invited DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang to his book launch “PKFZ: A Nation’s Trust Betrayed” last year.
Speaking to FMT recently, Lee admitted that Chua had effectively crippled the ABC movement by sacking him.
“Now I am no longer a MCA member, so it is not nice for those who hate Chua to come to see me.
“This will even jeopardise Liow Tiong Lai’s fight against Chua,” he said, referring to the MCA deputy president who was also at loggerheads with Chua.
But Lee believes his alleged “unconstitutional” dismissal would further stoke the anti-Chua fire that is growing in size and strength within the party.
“I have created the fire, and people will now carry it on. In fact Chua has made me more vocal. At the beginning I didn’t know where to go, now I can go to the media,” he said.
‘Chua is shameless’
The former three-term Subang Jaya assemblyman claimed that Chua was a “shameless” man who would resort to all tactics to stay in power.
He said this was reflected in the MCA extraordinary general meeting on Oct 20 that was brought by Chua’s supporters to overturn a 2010 decision not to accept any government post.
The all important meet, apart from proposing MCA takes-up all appointed government positions, will also be asked to give its green light for the party to accept senatorships, local council appointments and other posts in government linked companies.
The EGM also contains a motion to censure Liow for refusing to accept a collective decision made on government posts and for failing in his duty as the General Election Preparation Committee chairman.
Said Lee: “He (Chua) is a very smart man. He doesn’t care that the party or the community suffers as long as he can continue to become president.”
“This has never been done by the past MCA presidents such as Lee San Choon, Ling Liong Sik, Ong Ka Ting or Ong Tee Keat.
“You are saying Liow has contributed to MCA defeat. How can the number 2 man take responsibility (for the party election results)? Because they (Chua and his supporters) don’t care…they (CEC members) engineer a show to make Chua a hero in his own eyes.
“In the end who will suffer? The party will suffer. My sacking was against party procedures.”
Lee claimed that Chua has such a bad reputation in the eyes of public to the level that “you cannot find anyone from your family or your relative who says Chua is good”.
Chua’s public image was partly shaped by his previous involvement in a sex scandal with a young woman, and his combative style defending the ruling BN government despite a boiling anti-establishment mood in the Chinese community.
“You can still find people who like Liow Tiong Lai, Ong Ka Cuan or any others, but just not Chua. That’s why I say anything but Chua,” he said.
