MCA today demanded its Bukit Bintang division chairman Dr Lee Chong Meng to make his membership status known to the party leadership.

MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said this was to determine whether the membership suspension meted on him should be carried out or not.

lee chong meng He said the disciplinary board had recommended that Lee ( right ) be suspended for three years for misusing funds allocated by the government in 2008.

"We received complaints from members of the division on the matter. The CC (Central Committee) today accepted the decision make by the board. We view the matter seriously.

"I hope he (Lee) will tell us frankly whether he is still a party member. If he is not, there's no point in us going ahead with the suspension," he told reporters after chairing the CC meeting at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur today.

Until today, Lee has yet to announce whether he has quit MCA, while talks have been rife that he has joined an opposition party.

Chua said if Lee had joined another party, his membership in MCA would be automatically stripped off.

Party crisis

On why it took the party so long to act against Lee, Chua said: "That was during the party crisis, and during that whole time, the disciplinary board only focused on taking action against one person, that was the person who sits in front of you now (referring to himself)".

On the upcoming Galas state seat by-election, Chua said MCA vice- president and Housing and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung had been tasked to be the campaign coordinator for the party.

He said four MCA deputy ministers - Wee Ka Siong (Education), Gan Ping Sieu (Youth and Sports), Heng Seai Kie (Women, Family and Community Development) and Chua Tee Yong (Agriculture and Agro-based Industries) - had also been tasked to take care of four Chinese-majority areas in the constituency that would be adopted by MCA.

"We have identified the local issues and concerns that range from education to infrastructure and public amenities. We hope to improve the life of the local community."

Chua said the CC meeting had also agreed that the senatorship of Khoo Soo Seang be extended for another term, while another vacancy for senatorship would be filled by Wanita MCA secretary-general Chew Lee Giok.

- Bernama