The second MCA extraordinary general meeting (EGM) scheduled on Nov 28 needs the attendance of at least half of the 2,380 central delegates to ensure an effective and convincing decision.

mca call for egm 291009 wong nai chee Wong Nai Chee, a central committee (CC) member and one of the three EGM requisitionists, told Malaysiakini that it is still too early to predict the attendance.

“The party constitution states that the quorum must comprise one-third of the delegates. But we can't have only 793 delegates attending. We need more than half to reach a convincing decision,” he said.

The crisis-plagued party has 2,380 central delegates in its highest decision-making body.

There are doubts that the second EGM, called by vice-president Liow Tiong Lai's faction, will get the desired numbers as many are frustrated by the incessant infighting since the Oct 10 EGM.

The faction led by president Ong Tee Keat and his deputy Dr Chua Soi Lek have said they will not recognise the outcome of the new EGM.

The reason for this, they claimed, is that one of the two resolutions calling for fresh polls will contravene the party constitution.

azlan A large turnout is therefore crucial as Liow and his supporters need convincing numbers to pass the resolutions and compel Ong’s faction to abide by the decisions.

Liow's faction has formed the ad hoc MCA Integrity Restoring Task Force which is conducting a nationwide campaign to explain the necessity of fresh polls to delegates.

The campaign kicked off last Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, attracting about 200 party members. Media reports described the response as ‘lukewarm’.

It was also suggested that many were supporters from other states when the briefing was targeted at delegates from the capital and Selangor.

Wong denied this, clarifying that it was initially a dinner with dozens of delegates, but that this later switched to a briefing due to an overwhelming request.

“We did not expect the response to be so encouraging,” he said.

The next briefing will be held in Kuantan tomorrow.

Najib's intervention?

Asked if the second EGM will exacerbate the party’s problems if Ong's faction refuses to recognise it and the matter is taken to court, Wong said the intention is to provide a platform for the grassroots to convey their message to the leadership.

“Since the leadership has refused to respect and adhere to the decision of the Oct 10 EGM, what we are doing now is exhausting the party channels to let the leadership know of wishes at the grassroots. If they reject the call once again, (we will) let history judge them,” he said.

najib and barisan nasional Wong denied speculation that the EGM is to prompt Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to intervene and eventually force Ong to release more political resources to Liow's faction.

“I don't want to speculate (on whether the EGM will cause Najib to intervene),” he said, reiterating that the EGM is intended to restore the party's integrity.

Last Sunday, however, Liow told reporters that the CC members who have called for EGM are prepared to meet Najib to explain the issue.

Instead of listening to only Ong's briefing, he hoped the BN chairperson would meet them as well to get their views and understand the whole scenario.