Barisan Nasional chairperson Najib Abdul Razak was non-committal on whether fresh polls was necessary to resolve the MCA crisis.

Asked on the matter today, Najib said MCA must resolve their problems legally and also take into account moral considerations.

“Solving the problem means not only legally, but also morally and politically... otherwise, MCA can never win the support of the Chinese community,” he said during a press conference after the conclusion of the 60th Umno general assembly today.

umno agm egm 151009 najib give speech 01 He said party leaders had promised him that the crisis would be resolved as soon as possible but refused to set a time frame for them to do so.

Najib urged the public to give troubled BN component parties some time to resolve their problems, adding that they should look to a rejuvenated Umno for inspiration.

“Hopefully, they will gain some inspiration from Umno. Umno has been able to put its house in order... Give them a bit of time to sort themselves out,” he said.

MCA, the second-largest BN component, spiraled into a major crisis when president Ong Tee Keat lost a no-confidence vote at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) last Saturday.

Ong has refused to quit but is now calling for another EGM to allow delegates to decide if fresh polls was needed.

This has triggered an even bigger split among its top leaders, who are now jostling for control of the party.

Implement proposed changes

On the outcome of the Umno general assembly, Najib said the party has been given a shot in the arm and members were in good spirits following changes made to the party’s approach and election rules.

“What happened in this meeting will definitely will be scrutinised by the public... but they want to see implementation... They want to a Umno that is closer to the public. That is my wish as well. Hopefully, this will be a reality,” he said.

Najib also commended division chiefs for supporting the amendments to the party constitution, even though the new rulings expose them to more potential challengers.

“The division chiefs know that it is easier for their positions to be challenged, but they supported it anyway. This shows good leadership and good attitude, though there are risks,” he said.

He dismissed suggestions that the speedy endorsement of amendments to the party constitution was unhealthy and stressed that the matter had been discussed with party grassroots for months.

He added that a total of 172 suggestions from party grassroots were incorporated into the amendments.

Seven motions were passed during an one-hour EGM yesterday to amend the party constitution in order to, among others, expand the voter base for key party leaders from 2,500 to 146,000.

The move was meant to discourage vote-buying, which has severely tarnished the party image.