For the Chinese community, all major events must be accompanied by a sumptuous meal, be it to celebrate a baby's first month, funeral and even the MCA presidential campaign.

Of late, candidates for top party posts have been crisscrossing the country from one dinner event to another - sometimes more than one a night - to touch base with the party's 2,400 delegates who will go to the polls this Sunday.

Last night, Malaysiakini caught up with former MCA president Ong Ka Ting's campaign dinner at a Chinese restaurant on Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur organised by Federal Territories MCA.

Some 400 supporters, mostly from Kuala Lumpur and some from even faraway Labuan, made up the crowd. Initially, only 30 tables were prepared. Fifteen more were laid out later for the unanticipated swell.

mca re-election nomination 220310 ong ka ting 03 It was a carnival-like atmosphere, coloured with a plethora of campaign material of central committee candidates, with the whoop and cheers reserved for Ka Ting's arrival.

"You will be on tomorrow's headlines!" shouted one supporter to Ka Ting ( left ) as he made his rounds across the dinner hall.

One-by-one, aspiring central committee delegates took the stage tocanvass for votes, drawing lukewarm response from the crowd who were busy with their meal, until it was Ka Ting and running mate Liow Tiong Lai's turn to speak.

Ka Ting has Tee Keat in his sights

Ka Ting spoke at length about his election manifesto. Every time he hit an exclamation mark, the crowd dropped their utensils and applauded.

But the highlight of the night was when Ka Ting took a swipe at incumbent president Ong Tee Keat, though without naming him, for removing detractors from the presidential council.

"The party president's power must be properly limited by the central delegates and central committee. In future, the president cannot make decisions that will put everyone in a helpless situation," he said.

This allowed Ka Ting to bask in the standing ovation that ensued his remark, as he himself stood against a large stage backdrop which read: "(We) strongly support Ka Ting for president, Liow for deputy".

Ka Ting is locked in a three-way battle for the party presidency along with Tee Keat and his former estranged deputy Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Chua rallied more than 1,000 people at a dinner in Klang while more than 1,400 people were at a similar dinner last night at Yong Peng, Johor.

Though Ka Ting has been drawing crowds that were almost as big as Chua's, attendance at Tee Keat's events have been in smaller numbers, according to news reports.