Oh no, not again MCA
(MMO) – An effort to unseat MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is gaining momentum as the party is set to be drawn into another bruising internal strife.
Insiders reveal there is a move to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to challenge Liow’s leadership.
The latest move has surprised many as MCA has been dubbed a rather peaceful component party within Barisan Nasional (BN) in recent times. The last thing it needs is another public factional fight.
Sources said the EGM is being called to cast a vote of no-confidence against Liow en route to pushing for fresh polls “to return the confidence of the people in MCA”.
The party’s constitution requires those calling for an EGM to obtain the support of at least one-third of the 2,400 central delegates.
Insiders estimate those who did not vote for Liow at the last party elections two years ago numbered more than one-third of the delegates.
“Those wanting to call for an EGM can easily do so based on the number of votes polled by Liow’s opponents in the December 2013 elections,” said a former central committee member and supporter of former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
Liow won with an advantage of 186 votes to defeat challenger Gan Ping Sieu, who polled 1,000 votes for the presidency.
Ong only picked up 160 ballots from the delegates while incumbent president Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek did not seek re-election following the party’s poor performance in the 2013 general election.
Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong was named deputy president after he defeated former vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai by a 481-vote majority.
The 2013 MCA election saw the members split into several factions and the morale of the party was low after the hammering it received in the general election. MCA only won seven of the 37 parliamentary seats and 11 of the 90 state seats contested.
Observers lauded the 2013 party election results, as no single faction dominated the outcome.
“The central delegates were wise and did not follow any cai dan (menu) and instead voted for the sake of the party,” said a former MCA parliamentary candidate who was defeated in the 2013 general election.
“The move to oust Liow is the last thing MCA needs. The party’s image is already low among the electorate. Another party struggle will only isolate MCA from the Chinese community,” he added.
