MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai has called on all central committee members to resign en masse to force a re-election of top party posts.

According to Bernama, Liow said a mass resignation would mean that an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to decide on whether to hold fresh polls would be unnecessary.

"If all the CC members agree to resign en masse, this will be the fastest way to resolve the party problems," he said.

NONE Liow said this when asked by reporters if he supported the suggestions for a mass resignation of CC members today.

The party is now obliged to hold an EGM to decide whether fresh polls was necessary after 16 pro-Liow CC members - or one-third of the powerful committee - had requisitioned for the meeting on Wednesday.

Liow said he and a number of CC members had initially protested against fresh polls because they thought that president Ong Tee Keat and top MCA leaders could resolve the party problems collectively.

But now that the outcome, particularly with the emergence of Ong's ambiguous 'greater unity plan', Liow said fresh polls was a better way to resolve the problem.

Liow's troubles with Ong started immediately after the latter refused to stick to his promise to resign after losing a no-confidence vote at the Oct 10 EGM.

When pressured to resign, Ong instead moved to hold an EGM to decide whether it fresh polls was necessary.

Ong however rescinded his plan after he apparently buried the hatchet with former deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek under the 'greater unity plan', believed to be brokered by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Ong cancels Johor meet

In another development, Ong made a sudden decision to call off the Johor MCA liaison meeting tomorrow.

NONE This was confirmed by state liaison secretary Hoo Seong Chang and Ong's political secretary Simon Lim.

Ong, who is Johor MCA chief, said that the meeting was put off because he had "unforeseen emergency matters to attend to".

A new date for the meeting has yet to be fixed.

It is speculated that the sudden cancellation was linked to a possible snag in restoring Chua's position as Johor MCA chief.

It is believed that Chua would be appointed to the post as party of Ong's 'greater unity plan' which is now in jeopardy following Liow's mutiny.