MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik said today he is prepared to set up an independent body to verify the party membership list so that it is "free of any discrepancies" in the run-up to the hotly contested party elections expected to be held in June.

However, he did not elaborate further on the matter.

Ling is also proposing to display the membership list in all party branches for 21 days — compared to six days previously — to allow the party's two feuding factions sufficient time to scrutinise the list.

A steering committee headed by secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh has also been newly set up to handle any disputes concerning the list as well as any misconduct that may occur during the elections, he added.

"The action will include the deletion of phantom members, if they truly exist," said Ling in a statement.

Ling released the statement at a press conference held in his residence in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

He said the steering committee would take all necessary steps to ensure a fair and clean party election.

"The party elections are not about winning or losing. It is also about protecting and upholding the integrity and credibility of the MCA," said Ling who has been the party chief since 1986.

Yesterday, Ting announced the line-up of the steering committee who were made up of mostly party state liaison chairpersons.

He also said the membership list is being finalised and will be released in mid-February.

Questionable increase

In late December last year, party vice-president Chan Kong Choy questioned the recruitment of some 140,000 new members in the past six months.

He said the recruitment was approved by the central committee despite a lack of details on the branches involved, adding that the move was "unprecedented" as 15 percent of the total MCA members were recruited within only half a year.

Latest figures show that MCA, the second largest party within the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, has 1.04 million members, compared to some 900,000 a year before.

Chan said his repeated requests for details on the branches which signed up the new members were ignored. Meanwhile, many complaints were also received that membership applications submitted by the branches early last year had yet to be approved.

"This is very, very unfair. It must be made known to our members all over the country," he had said then.

'Phantom branches'

Last August, the MCA Petaling Jaya Utara division sparked off a controversy over 'phantom branches' when its leaders alleged that 17 new branches comprising non-existent members were set up.

According to the party constitution, any branch can be set up with a minimum of 50 members after being approved by the divisional committee.

The number of branches will decide the number of delegates at divisional assembly, followed by the state convention where central delegates will subsequently be chosen to the general assembly.

The general assembly will vote for the party officials every three years, among others, the president, deputy president, secretary-general, four vice-presidents, and 25 central committee members.

This year's contest for the party presidency post is expected to be a straight-fight between 'Team A' chief Ling and a candidate from the opposing 'Team B', led by his deputy Lim Ah Lek.

The party elections are likely to start in March at branch level, followed by the divisional level in April, state in May, and party in June.