More than 200 students of Tunku Abdul Rahman College (Tarc), and their parents, have complained to the college about being enrolled in MCA without their knowledge.

When contacted yesterday, a spokesperson from the student affairs department confirmed that the students had asked for help to deregister themselves from the political party.

Malaysiakini reported Friday that Tarc students had received an anonymous letter warning them about what had happened. The letter was signed "Team B justice workers".

This alerted them to the possibility that they could have been unknowingly registered as MCA members through the purchase of cheaper tickets for a concert last year.

Organised by the party's youth division last November, the concert was held at the Kuala Lumpur campus of the college. Students who submitted a photocopy of their identity card were entitled to purchase the tickets at a lower price. Their particulars were then allegedly used by a lecturer from the college to sign them up as MCA members.

To corroborate the anonymous warning, a list of such 'members' grouped according to branches detailing name and IC and membership numbers was distributed to some of the students. The list allegedly contained the names of more than 1,000 students who are members of MCA.

No legal action

In response to the complaints, the college is helping the students deregister themselves from MCA, said the spokesperson.

"The college sent a letter to the MCA organising secretary Ong Ka Chuan upon receipt of the complaints and we believe the party is attending to the matter," he said.

Asked if the college would inform the other 800 students on the list of the possibility that they could be phantom members of MCA, he avoided a direct reply and merely said the college has yet to do so since many of them have graduated.

He added that the complainants who went to see him only wanted their names taken off the MCA membership and were not considering further legal action.

When asked how a membership drive for a political party as well as its activities could be held in campus, he responded that he had "no idea at all".

"As far as I am concerned, students are bound by the Universities and University Colleges Act which restricts them from becoming a member of any political party," he said.

The lecturer implicated in the anonymous letter, Dr Toh Kian Kok, who was the organising chairperson of the concert, has denied the allegation.

Toh, who is also the MCA Taman Mutiara Barat branch chief, was quoted as saying last week that he was a smear victim who happened to be caught in the spillover from the party's internal feud.

'Outside activity'

College principal Yoong Lai Thye, when contacted today, said the controversy was an "internal matter".

Asked if any inquiry will be held about Toh's alleged role, she said, "This is his activity outside the campus." She refused to comment further.

Since last year, MCA has been plagued by an internal crisis which saw the party split into two camps Team A led by president Dr Ling Liong Sik (photo) and Team B helmed by deputy president Lim Ah Lek since the party took over two Chinese dailies at the same year. The conflict worsened in the run-up to the party's triennial election scheduled for July.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad then proposed a peace plan in April to end the year-long bickering between the two feuding factions. The plan was to freeze all party leaders in their posts for another term.

Following the decision by the pro-Team A central committee Thursday to drop Lim as the disciplinary committee chairperson, a post traditionally held by the party's No 2, observers believe that the factional feud is rearing its ugly head again.

Tarc is managed by MCA which also runs the recently established Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar).