The MCA Youth Wing annual general meeting (AGM), which is boycotted by the bulk of party delegates, turned out to be a sorry affair with only a handful showing up.

mca youth agm 060310 empty The meeting, held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, was to begin at 9am but no more than 10 of the 1,742 delegates could be seen at the venue by that time.

Youth deputy chief Mah Hang Soon, who is seen to be linked to the Ong faction, was among those present.

Also at the venue were Youth deputy secretary-general Loh Chew June and Penang Youth chief Eng Hiap Boon.

By 10.50am, those present decided to call off the meeting when it was obvious that they could not obtained the necessary quoram.

mca youth agm 060310 mah hang soon “I am saddened that after all the preparation, we are not able to carry on with the meeting as this would have been a good platform for the delegates to discuss important matters affecting the country,” said Mah ( right ).

He also thanked the delegates who have travelled to Kuala Lumpur and apologised for the cancellation.

Mah had earlier attempted to salvage the AGM by mobilising the 200 delegates needed to fulfill the necessary quorum. However, he was only able to round up 87 delegates. Among them were seven of the 55-member Youth central committee.

mca youth agm 060310 secretariat The disgruntled delegates who were present criticised the absence of Youth chief Wee and demanded that he be replaced.

Speaking at a press conference after the AGM was abandoned, Mah defended the delegates’ right to express their views.

Mah said his decision to attend the AGM today was to respect the caretaker central committee’s decision.

When asked about tomorrow’s party AGM, Mah said: “I will attend. It’s not for me to worry what will happen. I am duty bound to discharge my responsibilities.”

New Wanita speaker appointed

In contrast, the Wanita AGM at Wisma MCA drew more than 350 delegates - about one-fifth of the 2,037 representatives - and the event is proceeding in the absence of all the wing’s top leaders, including women’s chief Chew Mei Fun.

mca wanita agm 060310 hall Before the AGM kicked off, speaker Ooi Siew Kim announced that the meeting was postponed and walked out from Dewan San Choon.

She told the delegates that she received a letter from Chew at midnight last night asking her to postpone the AGM.

Despite Ooi's announcement, about 350 Wanita delegates remained in the hall.

The delegates later appointed Kelana Jaya Wanita chief Ong Chong Swen as the new speaker at 9.15am, who then presided over the meeting.

Article 36 of the party's constitution states that an AGM is deemed valid if t has a minimum quorum of 200 delegates.

mca wanita agm 060310 01 chew people persuade rep As the AGM proceeded, Chew ( right ) was meeting the press at a restaurant nearby.

The turnout of the two AGMs is seen as a gauge on the level of the delegates’ support for embattled party president Ong Tee Keat.

The executive council of both wings held emergency meetings yesterday to put off their AGMs, but the caretaker central committee - minus the 21 elected members who had resigned two days ago - resolved to proceed with the parent body's AGM and ordered both wings to do the same.

The leaders of both wings are linked to the faction lead by vice-president Liow Tiong Lai.

The party will hold fresh leadership polls on March 28, with nomination day on March 22.

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