In an unexpected development, MCA vice-president Chua Jui Meng - o­ne of the key contenders for the party president's post - will return from Geneva in time to attend the party's central committee meeting tomorrow.

Malaysiakini

learnt that Chua ( photo ) had abruptly changed his flight schedule to enable him to attend the MCA central committee meeting where the resignations of president Dr Ling Liong Sik and his deputy, Lim Ah Lek, are expected to be announced.

Gathering planned

Contacted this morning, Chua's press secretary Woon Yoon Teai confirmed that the presidential aspirant would be back in the country tomorrow.

"He informed me at about 10pm yesterday that he would arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 7.30am tomorrow," Woon said.

Malaysiakini

yesterday reported that Chua, who is also health minister, would miss the significant MCA meeting as he was attending the World Health Assembly in Geneva, and would o­nly scheduled to return late tomorrow afternoon.

The MCA central committee meeting is set for 12 noon at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Sources told malaysiakini that Team B - the dissident MCA faction led by deputy leader Lim ( photo ) - is expected to gather some 1,000 supporters to welcome Chua at the airport.

However, another source close to Chua played down the number of expected supporters. He added they would not be allowed to carry banners and placards.

MCA, the second largest component in the ruling coalition has split into two camps - Team A is led by Ling - ever since the party's controversial takeover of two major Chinese newspapers two years ago.

Chua is the most senior of the four key vice-presidents and has been holding his post since 1990 - his fourth term - making him the frontrunner for the post of MCA chief.

The party's top two feuding leaders reportedly tendered their resignation letters to party secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh recently.

The other vice-presidents are Dr Fong Chan O­nn, O­ng Ka Ting (both aligned to Team A) and Chan Kong Choy, who is Lim's protege.

Despite the fact that o­ng and Chan are widely speculated to take over the party leadership, political observers claimed that Chua's close ties with Umno and his seniority in the party make him the top candidate for the president's post.

Options in hand

Team A's option for the party leadership would be for Ling's protege o­ng to become president, while Team B's Chan could take over the deputy's post. o­ng, 47, a former political secretary to Ling, is housing and local government minister.

By keeping the party presidency, Team A would be in a powerful position to suggest to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition who in MCA should get plum jobs as ministers, and local government, state and parliamentary representatives.

Team A-controlled Chinese dailies prominently reported yesterday that the O­ng-Chan line-up would take over the party leadership.

Team B is backing Chua's ascendancy to party chief, while conceding the deputy's post to Team A's Fong, with Chan to become the new secretary-general.

English-educated Fong is considered less of a threat to Chua - an English-educated lawyer - than o­ng ( photo ), who has the support of a significant number of Chinese-educated MCA members.

Team B is also hoping that Chan, by taking the secretary-general's post, would control the party machinery. He could then further sideline o­ng, his main rival, in the run-up to the party election in 2005.

Umno, which has in the past exerted influence over the leadership options of its coalition partners, is said to prefer a Chua-Ong line-up.

While Chua would not pose a threat to Umno due to his lack of grassroots support within the party, o­ng would have the ability to garner Chinese votes for BN in the coming general election, due by November 2004.

Matters outstanding

However, it is unclear whether the resignation of the top two leaders - should a motion be tabled tomorrow - will be accepted by the 41 central committee members since at least 17 have vowed to vote against it.

With 32 members o­n its side, Team A has a dominant control over the powerful committee.

Ling has been meeting supporters from around the country who came to urge him to stay o­n. He said he would take their "good advice" into consideration.

Whatever the case, it is expected that the leadership succession issue will not be decided at tomorrow's meeting as the resignation of Ling and Lim may o­nly take effect at the MCA general assembly in July.

The two factions will therefore have two months to work out a deal.

Tomorrow's meeting, apart from the issue of party succession, is also expected to discuss several thorny matters.

They are the claims of triad politics by Youth chief o­ng Tee Keat, allegations against Ka Ting for having close ties with leaders of criminal organisations, and the matter of a party division leader who has been detained for alleged involvement in an international drug-trafficking ring .