MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik today persuaded key leaders from across the country who were aligned to Team A to work towards no-contest at the forthcoming party elections, as outlined in the peace plan agreed by the two feuding factions recently.

Im confident that we will successfully implement the peace plan. When the divisions go for nomination on May 3, we will see only one nomination for one division, he told a press conference this evening.

Earlier, Ling chaired a one-hour briefing to some 70 party leaders, who were either members of Parliament, state assembly representatives, or senators from different states, at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Sitting alongside the party chief were vice-presidents Ong Ka Ting and Dr Fong Chan Onn, secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh, and Wanita chief Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Asked why the leaders aligned to Team B were not present, Ling replied, We have decided to convince our people first and they will have their own meeting to convince their people. Then we will converge and implement the plan together.

It is learnt that Team B will brief their middle-ranking leaders tomorrow afternoon, after which both factions will meet at the central committee meeting on Thursday to endorse the implementation of the peace plan.

He said the 70 leaders who had attended the briefing today will go back to explain to the grassroots on why and how the peace plan proposed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be carried out.

Peace plan

The peace plan was presented to Team A led by Ling and Team B led by his opposing deputy Lim Ah Lek at a series of reconciliation meetings two weeks ago.

The five-member reconciliation committee was chaired by Mahathirs deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and included pro-Mahathir entrepreneur Lim Kok Wing.

The plan, among others, maintained status quo for party posts in all levels in view of the year-long bickering between Team A and Team B.

Ling had last week announced that all leaders will remain in their posts for another three-year term whereas party elections will proceed but with no contest.

Today he told reporters the party will also work towards no-contest for the selection of new delegates at the divisional elections fixed for May 15.

We will encourage discussions and negotiations among them [so that the posts can be filled up with no contest], he said.

Dubious new members

MCA currently has 2,384 delegates based on the 1999 membership list which has some 850,000 names.

However, following a drastic increase of members, particularly the 135,000 new ones within four months late last year, party secretary-general Ting had announced in February that the number of delegates is expected to be 2,667 after the divisional elections.

The delegates are entitled to attend the June 29 annual general assembly to choose the central leaders, including the president and the deputy president as well as four vice-presidents, for a three-year term.

Team B had previously alleged that the membership list was tainted with dubious names and had threatened to reveal the evidence they had gathered if the list was not verified further.

However, the opposing faction later agreed not to pursue the matter for now to give way to the implementation of the peace plan.

Meanwhile, vice-president Ong said though some grassroots leaders who had planned to go for higher posts may be frustrated as they were not allowed to contest, they will come to realise that it is for the long-term interests of the party.