MCA central committee member Chor Chee Heung should decline his appointment as the head of the committee co-ordinating the investigation into the MCA Youth annual general meeting fracas because he is "not impartial", a Youth leader said today.

"Chor should reject the offer to head the investigation committee because he himself has implied that he is not impartial," said the Youth acting secretary-general Liow Tiong Lai, referring to a report in Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh .

According to the daily, Chor has said that all members of the central committee and presidential council are not entirely objective on the matter.

However, he himself is in both the committee and council and has been known to have supported MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik on various issues, including the controversial Nanyang Press takeover.

Liow said that Chor, who is a lawyer by profession, should understand that a judge who finds himself likely to be biased would disqualify himself from presiding over a case.

Incidentally, in a funny twist today, Chor, too, used a similar argument but turned it on the dissidents in the disciplinary committee who were perceived to be caught in the middle.

The disciplinary committee led by deputy president Lim Ah Lek consisted of four other MCA leaders, namely estranged vice-president Chua Jui Meng, Youth chief Ong Tee Keat, Women chief Dr Ng Yen Yen and another vice-president, Dr Fong Chan Onn.

Chua and Ong are linked to Lim's camp - the so-called Team B - whereas Ng and Fong are said to be linked to Ling (Team A).

Approached by the press in the parliament lobby today, Chor also defended his appointment and refuted that the new committee was meant to usurp the powers of the disciplinary committee, citing Section 45(2) and (3) of the party's constitution as justification.

Disciplinary committee usurped

MCA Youth this morning urged Ling to hand over the investigation on the fracas to the disciplinary committee as provided by the party's constitution.

Its national legal bureau chief Simon Lim Seng Chai said the appointment of the new committee was "an unprecedented act" and "against the spirit and word of the party's constitution".

Lim added that the setting up of the committee side-stepped the very existence of the disciplinary committee. He also questioned the integrity and impartiality of the MCA leaders appointed by the central committee.

The setting up of a new committee has blatantly robbed the members of their right to be heard before the disciplinary committee and to appeal as provided under Article 127 of the party constitution.

Lim explained that as it is unconstitutional for the new committee to usurp the functions and power of the disciplinary committee, the former would eventually have to submit its findings to the latter for further action.

The disciplinary committee would then make its recommendations to the presidential council under Article 125 of the party constitution, he added.

"This would further delay the investigation, bearing in mind that justice delayed is justice denied," Lim said.

Witch-hunt

According to Liow, the MCA Youth has submitted its report on the matter to the disciplinary committee on Aug 27 but no action was taken by the parent body.

"This means the president did not give any instruction to the committee," he said, adding that under Article 123 of the party constitution, any action taken by the disciplinary committee must obtain the approval of the party president.

The Youth wing also urged the police to expedite their investigation into the fracas.

Liow said that some party members felt that the setting up of this new committee to investigate the fracas is another act of witch-hunting in the party.

Last week, Chua was dropped as Kedah MCA state head and replaced with state secretary Beh Heng Seong in what appeared to be a move to sideline Chua who was against the party's takeover of Nanyang Press.

The internal conflict within MCA broke into a storm after several of its leaders publicly spoke against the takeover, culminating in the Aug 3 fracas.