MCA's new deputy president Liow Tiong Lai said today the party need not hold a second extraordinary general meeting (EGM) and would meet with party boss Ong Tee Keat to urge him not to proceed with his decision.

He said MCA had its own mechanisms to resolve disputes that arose in the party including through discussions at the party's central committee (CC) level.

mca supporter gather for ong tee keat 151009 liow tiong lai As such, he said the CC would meet party president Ong Tee Keat to advise him not to call the second EGM as it would not resolve MCA's problems.

Ong, at a CC meeting on Thursday, invoked his presidential powers to call an EGM to determine whether there should be a fresh leadership election after a majority of the 42 committee members reportedly wanted him to quit.

"MCA's delegates have made known the views (at the EGM held last Saturday) and as such, we feel that they will respect the decisions taken at the EGM and want to see the CC respecting them as well,” said Liow.

"We will look for the best way to resolve our problems, For us in the CC, the party still has room to resolve problems," he told reporters when met at the MIC's Deepavali open hosue at the Putra World Trade Centre here.

Signature drive

Asked about speculation that a signature drive had been mounted to pressure Ong to step down as president, Liow denied this and said it was to call him to talk to Ong.

"That signature drive is not to ask him to resign... they want me to talk to the president and to represent them on their views and we are actually appealing to the president to listen to some of views of the CC members.

"Remember...There is no way the CC can do this. That is why it never came across our mind to force the president to resign, never.”

Last Saturday's EGM was called following a leadership crisis in the party, which among others, passed a motion of no confidence against Ong.

Following that, at MCA's CC meeting on Thursday, its members elected Liow to fill the vacant deputy president’s post.

NONE Ong, who lost the no-confidence vote by 14 votes, however refused to step down as under the party's constitution a president can only be removed by a no confidence vote by at least two thirds of the delegates attending an EGM.

When pressured by a number of CC members, he demanded all to resign too as the powerful committee had made a collective decision to expel rival leader, former deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He then used his presidential powers to call the second EGM to allow delegates determine whether the party should hold fresh polls.

EGM notice served

Meanwhile, MCA secretary-general Wong Foon Meng said Ong had served he notice to call the EGM but no date had been set yet.

He said the political scenario in MCA was changing by the day and as such the president's resignation was no longer a priority.

"We will have to find the best formula whereby everyone is happy. I am optmistic the problems besetting MCA can be resolved," he said when met at the idilfitri open house of the chief secretary of the government Mohd Sidek Hassan in Putrajaya.

- Bernama