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MCA rivals meet tomorrow over EGM resolutions

PETALING JAYA (Sept 13, 2009): The pro-Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's MCA central delegates' extraordinary general meeting (EGM) action committee headed by Datuk Seri Tan Chai Ho says it is meeting party secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng over the resolutions for the EGM.

When contacted, Tan said he was personally informed by Wong today that the meeting would be held at the party headquarters tomorrow afternoon without being told the exact time or the identities of those representing the president.

"I have no idea what will be discussed in the meeting but we have one main agenda for the meeting which is to preview and discuss the (proposed) resolutions," he said.


The committee submitted 921 signatures of central delegates and a requisition for an EGM on Friday. The move is to save the political career of Chua who was expelled from the party on Aug 26 for his involvement in a sex DVD scandal.

According to the party constitution, an EGM can be called by a third of the central delegates and the secretary-general must respond within five days upon receiving the requisition. If not, the delegates have the right to convene the EGM.

The party presidential council had also decided on Friday that only one EGM would be held to avoid inconveniencing delegates although president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and the committee had called for their own EGM after the sacking of Chua.

It is widely speculated that the EGM would be held on the weekend after Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, which is either Sept 26 or 27 as required by the party constitution that once the party president has exercised his privilege to call for an EGM, the meeting must be held within 30 days.

It was also reported that after verifying the signatures by the party secretariat on Saturday, it found at least 100 of the total 921 signatures were believed to be dubious.

A source was quoted by an English daily on Sunday that "some of the signatures don't match. Some membership numbers in the requisition forms are different from the database.

"In some cases, there were multiple staple marks on the documents. Legal experts say this isn't legal," the source said, adding that many delegates who allegedly signed for the EGM also wanted to withdrawal the requisition.

There are also talks that delegates were allegedly paid for their signatures and these are the ones who withdrew after their names were submitted by the committee to the party secretariat as they had chosen to remain "neutral" to avoid "offending" the incumbents.

Asked on the allegation, Tan said: "I do not want to comment on sources' stories unless it was Wong who made the statement. I believe that all signatures we collected are authentic because the delegates signed in front of lawyers and commissioners of oath."

On whether he was worried that after the verification process, the committee would have fewer than the minimum 800 signatures to call for an EGM, Tan said: "I am confident. I am not worried about the numbers for the EGM."

Although the resolutions from both camps have yet to be officially made public, it is learnt that Ong wants the endorsement of the delegates on the sacking of Chua and a motion of confidence supporting his leadership. The committee wants Chua to be reinstated as a party member and deputy president as well as to move a motion of no-confidence against Ong.

The Sun

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