MCA has today overturned it's central disciplinary panel’s decision to suspend Johor executive councillor Tee Siew Kiong for three years for defying the party's stand to shun government posts.

President Dr Chua Soi Lek said the reversal was made in view of new evidence that the party had obtained - a copy of the Johor sultan's statement produced by Tee, which was tabled to the party's central committee.

"In Tee's case, he presented new evidence, the statement by the sultan, that his appointment was not based on a recommendation by the party.

"(The evidence showed) it was by royal command that Tee was appointed," he said after chairing a five-hour central committee meeting.

"So after much discussion, the majority of the MCA (central committee) felt that Tee's suspension should be lifted,"  he said.

With this, Tee’s suspension is immediately lifted and his central committee post restored.

Tee had accepted the state exco post after the last general election despite the party’s decision not to accept any government post after its worst defeat.

On June 20, MCA’s presidential committee accepted the disciplinary committee’s suggestion to suspend Tee’s membership for three years. Tee later appealed the decision, claiming he had to accept the royal decree.

The royal statement dated July 1, which was submitted by Tee to MCA, was written by Jaba Mohd Noah from the Johor Royal Department who is the private secretary to the sultan. It stated that Tee’s appointment was made by royal decree according to Article 4 of the state constitution.

“All quarters, be it MCA party leaders or others, should respect the decision made and ought not to question the power of the sultan who rules the state,” read the statement.

The sultan had chosen Tee so that there is a representative for each ethnic group appointed to the state exco, it said.

“There is no need for the sultan to get a recommendation from any quarter, and there’s no need to explain why Tee was chosen,” it read further.