Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants MCA leaders to take into account the interests of the Barisan Nasional in resolving the crisis faced by the component party currently.

NONE Najib, who is also BN chairperson, said he did not want to pressure anyone in MCA by giving a deadline for the annual general meeting (AGM), but hoped it could be held soon.

"Some groups want it to be held quickly, while others want it to be held later. We try to reach a compromise so that the transition can be resolved and we can move forward with a stronger line-up.

"It's only a question of time, when to hold the AGM. The time is being negotiated by several MCA leaders, I hope a compromise on the date for the AGM could be reached soon," he said.

The prime minister was asked to comment on the internal crisis which had been plaguing MCA for the past three months without any sign of an immediate solution although the leaders concerned had agreed to hold fresh party polls.

Following the MCA Central Committee (CC) meeting at the end of November, the leaders embroiled in the dispute are now seen to be undergoing a 'cooling off' period although no agreement had been reached on the date for the AGM.

Monsoon cup will continue

NONE In another development, Najib said the government plans to continue with the staging of the Monsoon Cup yachting championship in future with the hope that it will provide the platform for churning out more local yachtsmen and sailing teams of world standard.

Najib said he noticed that the fifth edition of the Monsoon Cup held at Pulau Duyong was getting more response notonly from fans of the sport throughout the world but also local residents.

In fact, he said, the quality of the participants in the final circuit of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) was most encouraging because they comprised big names in yachting sports to the extent that it was enjoying wide television coverage internationally.

"We see that the number of television audience for the championship reached one billion worldwide and was getting much air time.

"This certainly shows that the Monsoon Cup championship is getting a good response internationally and we will continue with the staging of the championship in future," he said.

The Monsoon Cup yachting championship at Pulau Duyong was introduced in 2005 under an agreement reached between T-Best Events and the World Match Racing Tour and the agreement expires in 2012. - Bernama