The problems in MCA appear to be compounding with every sunrise, and today was no different with the party's entire five-member disciplinary committee having resigned.

mca disciplinary board pc ng cheng kiat and jimmy low boon hong 201108 04 It is learnt that the decision was reached during a recent committee meeting, and an official resignation letter was submitted to party president Ong Tee Keat by the committee's chairperson and veteran Ng Cheng Kiat ( left ) today.

It is believed that the committee members were unhappy with the politically-motivated interferences, which resulted in the committee being unable to function effectively.

Under the party constitution, all decisions by the committee must be endorsed by the presidential council before it is vetted at a second stage by the central committee.

Both bodies have the authority to reject or amend the disciplinary committee's decisions.

"In our case, it is a disciplinary matter. But when it goes to the central committee and presidential council, they make political decisions.

"This system is not effective to enforce disciplinary actions," said a disciplinary committee member who declined to be named.

However, he denied that the en bloc resignation had anything to do with their probe on Dr Chua Soi Lek, where the committee's recommendation to sack him, was eventually overturned.

The source said the lifting of Ipoh Timur division chief Thong Fah Chong's suspension was another example of political interference in the committee's work.

Second blow for Leong

He stressed that the resignation had nothing to do with specific cases, as the committee's grouses was with the entire disciplinary system.

chua soi lek sex tape scandal 020108 dvd Following a probe, the disciplinary committee recommended in August that Chua be sacked for tarnishing the party image due to his sex-DVD scandal.

This was later endorsed by the presidential council, but the punishment was amended to a four-year suspension by the central committee later.

Following this, Chua's supporters managed to push the party to convene an extraordinary general meeting on Oct 10, which saw delegates overturning the committee's decision.

leong tang chong In what appeared to be a fall-out from the party's factional feud, MCA-owned Star Publications Bhd's chairperson and director Leong Tang Chong has been re-designated as a non-executive director.

The move comes just two weeks after Leong was sacked as the longest-serving MCA legal bureau chief.