The two Penang state assembly representatives whose MCA membership was suspended by the party Monday said they have no intention to quit the party or cross over to the opposition.

Tan Cheng Liang (Jawi) said she will continue to serve her constituents even though she would not be allowed to use party resources for it.

"My service centre is still open. People can still come to me if they have any problems. Just as I have stressed before, the thought of joining the opposition has never crossed my mind," said Tan when contacted today.

Asked if she considers herself an MCA member after the suspension, she replied, "I love MCA and Barisan Nasional. I fully support Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020) advocated by BN."

Lim Boo Chang (Datuk Keramat) told Chinese newspapers today that he would not join DAP despite an open invitation from the party's state chairperson Chow Kon Yeow, member of Parliament for Tanjung.

"Sorry, I can't join DAP. I have my own political beliefs," Lim was quoted as saying in China Press .

He also said he will continue to participate in MCA activities and support the party in his personal capacity.

Options

Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the two suspended MCA backbenchers had the right to resign from the party, become independent representatives, or even join the opposition.

Penang state assembly Speaker Yahaya Hamid had said the duo could not remain as elected BN representatives since they have been suspended indefinitely.

He also said there will be changes to the sitting arrangements in the state assembly when the session resumes in the middle of next year.

Lim and Tan were suspended for abstaining from voting on a DAP-led motion to defer the RM1.02 billion Penang Outer Ring Road (Porr) last month in the state assembly.

No chance of rehabilation

Meanwhile, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said chances for the two state assembly members to be rehabilitated in MCA or nominated in the next general election are "virtually nil" as such actions will be regarded as an open defiance to Gerakan and Umno.

He said the MCA-controlled newspaper, The Star , was the only media to suggest that Mahathir had accepted MCA's suspension of the two errant state assembly members. The headline read, "Dr M: I am satisfied MCA acted against duo."

However, Kit Siang said other English and Malay newspapers highlighted that BN's acceptance matters most, quoting Mahathir as saying "it is not just my opinion that counts but the opinions of other BN leaders as well".

He said there would not have been any disciplinary action against Tan and Lim without "pressure and political blackmail" from BN component parties.

The "unjust and cowardly" suspension served the sole objective to hide the embarrassment and humiliation that the MCA presidential council had suffered from its loss of authority, he added.

Kit Siang said it was also a "public repudiation" of the stand adopted by MCA Penang chairperson Wong Kam Hoong who had given support, sympathy and solidarity to the anti-Porr campaign.

He also questioned if Lim and Tan are still bound by MCA discipline or allowed to speak freely on state government issues in utter disregard of MCA and BN's stands.

Task force

In a related development, Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon announced this afternoon that the Penang BN has appointed Gerakan's Lee Kah Choon to head a task force to coordinate all BN activities and serve the voters in Lim's constituency Datuk Keramat.

Koh said Lee was appointed because he is the member of Parliament for Jelutong which covers Datuk Keramat, a state seat considered as a Gerakan stronghold.

Lim had won Datuk Keramat on the Gerakan ticket but defected to MCA after the 1999 general elections.

Umno state assembly member Abdul Rashid Abdullah (Sungai Acheh) was appointed to head another task force in Tan's constituency in Jawi, he added.

This announcement came a day after MCA Penang chief Wong said the party will set up its special task force to continue serving the constituents in both Datuk Keramat and Jawi.