In an immediate response to Team Bs notice of an extraordinary general meeting, MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik urged party delegates not to attend the meet as it is against the party constitution.

Ling who heads the Team A faction said secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh had ruled that the requisition for the meet was backed by less than one-third of the delegates, and that the proposed resolutions should have been approved by the central committee.

How can I ask the delegates to be present at the EGM when Ting had said the requisition did not fulfill the constitutional requirement, the president was quoted as saying in a Nanyang Siang Pau online report.

Earlier, Team B announced that the EGM would be held on April 21 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur despite Tings rejection of calling for one yesterday.

The secretary-general had said the EGM would not be convened as 49 out of the original 810 delegates who signed the petition for the meet had withdrew.

The party, which claims over one million members, has 2,384 delegates across the country.

The EGM would seek to set up an independent committee to verify the controversial membership list and to revoke the suspension of the partys Youth wing since December last year.

Patient person

Asked if Team Bs move to call for an EGM on their own had violated the party constitution, Ling said he would let the party delegates judge this for themselves.

To another question on whether disciplinary action would be taken against Team B leaders, Ling replied, I am a patient person. I think the most appropriate way to solve all the problems is through the party elections.

I have never thought of punishing anyone. After all, they are all members of MCA, he added.

On Team Bs claim that they were not given the details of the 49 withdrawn signatures, he said this will be handled by the party headquarters and the party elections steering committee headed by Ting.

He added the steering committee will consult the partys legal affairs bureau before making any move.

Ling reiterated that 1,526 delegates had opposed the EGM and they were satisfied with the manner the steering committee has conducted the party elections thus far.

Meanwhile, Team B leader Lim Ah Lek is expected to convene a press conference tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur regarding the EGM.