An MCA leader has today refuted claims that the move by the party central committee in revoking the expulsion of deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek was tantamount to a lack of confidence in the presidential council.

According to central committee (CC) member Ti Lian Ker, the powerful committee had overturned other disciplinary decisions made by the presidential council at its marathon seven-hour meeting on Saturday.

Under Article 128 of the constitution, the CC has the final say on disciplinary matters and that cannot be challenged, even in a court of law.

There are 43 CC members with 25 elected, seven appointed by the president while the rest are party office-bearers.

chua soi lek kl dinner 180909 pc.jpg Party sources said Chua's issue was brought up by Wong Siong Hwee from Kelantan and all were given the opportunity to express their views, including the most senior CC member, Wong Mook Leong.

Wong re-told his experience when he was sacked during the party crisis in the 1980s, expressing that a suspension would have a similar effect as an expulsion, the source said.

"Some CC members sympathised with Dr Chua. They felt there was no need to push an already broken man and believed he should be given a chance to salvage a bit of his shattered honour," he added.

Inflamed supporters of Chua, however, hit back that it was not appropriate and an act of disrespect to the central delegates for the CC to discuss the matter as the rival factions had already agreed to the EGM and agenda.

"Are they trying to say the CC is more supreme than the EGM?" asked Chua in the wake of the CC decision.

Party veteran Yap Pian Hon maintained the CC had the mandate because all decisions, including disciplinary matters, must go through both the 20-member presidential council and CC, the two decision-making organs in the party.

"If we stop at the presidential council level, it can be argued later that the decision is invalid because the due process was not complete," he said.

Rug pulled from under Chua

Chua's supporters are pointing fingers that it was Ong who first called for EGM on Aug 31, when they had barely started their signature campaign to push for one to annul Chua's sacking.

central committee meeting mca 190909 A political observer, who declined to be named, views the CC's decision as a "smart tactical move" by Ong's side to neutralise the sympathy factor towards Chua for the EGM, to "take some wind away from the sail".

The suspension may cause part of the 2,377 delegates to reconsider their views and swing away from Chua as he would continue to be a party member after four years.

After all, Chua had said he wanted to die an MCA member, the observer noted.

Ti said that members should have waited first to see how the CC would act before pushing for the EGM, now fixed for Oct 10, after the presidential council sacked Chua for tarnishing the party's image over a sex video scandal.

"They overlooked the CC as an independent body and pre-empted us by going straight for an EGM which should be called only as a last resort, and not the first resort. Members should not have jumped the gun.”

- Bernama