PETALING JAYA, Nov 21 – MCA vice president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai says that a date for fresh party elections is being discussed with his rivals but that plans for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) next Saturday will proceed if no agreement is reached.
This comes after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak met the leaders of the warring factions in MCA, including the president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and Liow.
Najib is understood to be supportive of fresh elections in MCA to end the protracted power struggle.
The question is now one of timing as Dr Chua, who has been authorised by Ong to negotiate a date because he is now in London, prefers to have elections next year, preferably after the election model is revamped to one of direct election of the top party officials by MCA members instead of by 2,377 central delegates.
According to Dr Chua, this would require a constitutional amendment which will take another six to eight months.
Liow says, however, that it would be too late for MCA and that he cannot wait for direct elections to be put in place.
“We can’t waste so much time,” Liow told The Malaysian Insider. “We would like fresh elections if possible by the end of this year. And putting in place direct elections will take some time. We are currently discussing the date but no agreement has been reached. If we can reach a date that all parties can agree upon, then the EGM this coming Saturday will be called off.”
Liow declined to say when an agreement is expected but says that he hopes it would be “as soon as possible.”
However, Dr Chua told The Malaysian Insider that March would be the earliest possible date as the months of December to February were packed with holidays, including the school break, Christmas and Chinese New Year.
The deputy president also said that he supported fresh elections in principle but not the EGM called by Liow because the resolutions were “defective” and not enforceable.
He pointed out that, under the party constitution, fresh elections can only be triggered if two thirds of the central committee resigns but that condition was not part of any of the upcoming EGM resolutions.
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