Supporters of embattled MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat are planning to call for an extraordinary general meeting as an attempt to pre-empt the possible sacking of their leader.

When contacted, MCA Youth acting secretary-general Liow Tiong Lai said there are many delegates requesting for an EGM.

"The delegates want it quick. I don't deny the possibility that we may have an EGM this month," he said.

However, he stressed that the final decision lies with the 1,512 Youth delegates.

Liow added, according to party constitution, the Youth can call for an EGM - a majority of whom believed to back Ong - on a notice of not less than 7 days, with requisitions from at least one-third of the Youth delegates.

The last Youth EGM, held on June 23, witnessed a majority of the delegates led by Ong voting against the takeover of two Chinese newspapers by the party's investment arm in May.

Party sources believe that the EGM will be important to head off an effort by the party's central committee and presidential council to suspend Ong within the next two weeks.

However, Ong supporters will be hard pressed for time to collect the required one-third signatures from Youth delegates.

Staunch critic

Ong, who is also the deputy sports and youth minister, is known to be a staunch critic of Ling's leadership in recent months.

The Youth chief had accused Ling of interfering in Youth affairs and demanded an apology from the president.

Article 45.24 has it that any suspension or expulsion of the elected leaders will require the support of two-thirds of the central committee members present at the meeting.

Getting the central committee's support to suspend Ong should not be a problem as 32 of the total 40 are known to be aligned to Team A led by the party president Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Furthermore, an investigating committee made up of veterans had taken Ong to task recently for the ruckus at the Youth wing's annual general meeting on Aug 3.

The committee in its report said, "it is up to the presidential council or central committee to decide what action it wishes to take [against Ong]."

The Youth AGM made headlines with a bomb hoax, fist-fights, chair-throwing and the sacking of two of its leaders - secretary-general Yew Tiong Look, and vice-chairperson Loh Seng Kok who is also Ling's political secretary.

Yew and Loh were reinstated in their posts following the veteran committee's decision last Friday.

In fact, some party observers suggest that the central committee may even sack Ong as a party member.

Split widened

Claiming 170,000 members, MCA Youth is the affiliate of the largest Chinese party in this country.

In May, MCA's Huaren Holdings acquired Nanyang Press Holdings (publisher of Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press ) in a controversial RM230-million deal.

The purchase widened the split within the party. Leaders and members were divided into two camps, Team A which favoured the deal and Team B which opposed it.

Among the prominent leaders in Team A led by Ling are party vice-presidents Ong Ka Ting and Fong Chan Onn, and secretary-general Ting Chew Peh.

While Team B is led by deputy president Lim Ah Lek, together with vice-presidents Chua Jui Meng and Chan Kong Choy, and Youth chief Ong.

In October, Chua was sacked from his Kedah MCA state chief's post, prompting speculation that the removal was due to his growing influence among the delegates.

Many noted that Chua's sacking and Ong's likely suspension may be a move to curb Team B's threat at the party elections scheduled by next August.