MCA treasurer for some 12 years William Chek is reportedly keen to resign the key post but party chief Dr Ling Liong Sik apparently managed to persuade him to hold back the resignation for now.

Malaysiakini learnt that Chek handed in his resignation letter a few days ago but Ling told him to hold it back.

A member at the MCA presidential council which held its weekly meeting today at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur was said to have raised the issue of Chek's resignation and was told by Ling that the issue would not be discussed.

Another major item of tremendous interest and impact to the Chinese community - the Chang Min Thien RM10 million scholarship fund set up in 1980 - was also reportedly raised at the meeting.

Ling again reportedly said this issue was "not for discussion".

The fund, named after the late philanthropist, had hogged the Chinese media headlines occasionally over the past two decades because a large section of the Chinese community felt "let down and disappointed" that not a single student had benefitted from the charity fund.

A party member told malaysiakini today that if the fund had been managed properly from the very beginning, tens of thousands of students would have benefitted from the fund which should have now grown to at least RM30 million when the interest was added on.

Court orders return of funds

After a long battle in the court, the issue culminated with a High Court decision last Saturday ordering the return of the RM10 million to a company run by Chiang's family.

When the fund was set up, it was managed by a Board of Trustees which included representation from the MCA leadership; the current board includes MCA president Ling, MCA secretary-general Ting Chew Peh, MCA deputy president Lim Ah Lek and former deputy president Lee Kim Sai.

Reacting to the latest development on the fund, Lee was quoted by Nanyang Siang Pau today as saying that since his retirement from politics (in 1995), he does not know much about the fund's management.

According to Lee, after the RM10 million was handed over to public-listed company Multi-Purpose Holdings for management, it was left to Ling and the party's legal bureau to keep track of the fund.