MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek today urged his party chief and bitter rival Dr Ling Liong Sik not to stop the party delegates from calling for an extraordinary general assembly by collecting signatures for a petition to oppose it.

"Although he said he did not try to stop the EGM, his people are collecting signatures from party delegates to object to the EGM.

"This sort of double-faced practice has belittled the democracy within the party, what more when there has yet to be any official requisition for an EGM," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

He stressed that the right to call for an EGM must not be violated by anyone including the party president and central committee.

When asked, he refused to state when the requisition would be made. He also declined to reveal the number of signatures collected thus far to move for the EGM beyond saying, "There are a lot".

Ling's denial

Chinese newspapers today reported Ling's denial in his involvement in the ongoing counter-EGM signature campaign but stressed that he would not call for an EGM either.

"I did not start the signature campaign but we have got more than one-third of the delegates who signed against the EGM," he was quoted as saying in China Press .

Three party leaders aligned to Team B — Youth assistant secretary-general Liow Tiong Lai, central committee members Tang See Hang, and Perak state assemblyman Lee Chee Liong — had earlier initiated a requisition for an EGM.

Party sources said the deferment of the requisition could be a result of "technical complications" as Team B had realised that chances to get an EGM before division elections scheduled on April 28 are slim.

According to the MCA constitution, an EGM may be held at any time if requisition is made in writing by at least one-third of some 2,400 existing central delegates.

It is also stipulated that the party secretary-general must issue a notice to all delegates to the EGM within five days from the date he receives the requisition. The EGM must subsequently be held within 30 days from the date the requisition is made.

Meanwhile, party vice-president Chan Kong Choy criticised the party chief for not respecting the party constitution by attempting to derail the EGM.

"Under the party constitution, there is only provision to call for an EGM but there is no such thing as opposing an EGM," he said.

Star slammed

On a different matter, party vice-president Chua Jui Meng lashed out at MCA-owned English daily The Star , accusing the newspaper of biased reporting against Team B.

When pressed for details regarding the EGM and phantom members, a visibly upset Chua told the daily's journalist, "With all the press here, I would like to ask The Star , please for once write fairly."

" The Star is an MCA paper, it does not belong to one man, stop distorting and stop manipulating. Please ensure that some of our news come out in The Star ."

MCA elections had recently started at branch level on Sunday. The party will hold its division elections, where central delegates are chosen, at end of this month. This will be followed by state elections in May, and the annual general assembly on June 29.

Observers noted that it is likely for a candidate from the Lim-led Team B to challenge team A leader Ling, who has been in party presidency since 1986, for the top post.