After humiliating loss, Soi Lek now pleads for party to close ranks: KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — After suffering an embarrassing defeat in his bid to censure his party’s No 2, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek urged today for party leaders to close ranks and stop using the media as a platform to attack each other. The motion to censure Datuk Liow Tiong Lai was widely seen as an attempt by Dr Chua to discredit his No 2, but MCA delegates voted against doing so at an extraordinary general meeting this morning. “I urge all party leaders to close ranks after the extraordinary general meeting and that there will be no more mudslinging against each other. “I hope party leaders to stop using the media as platform to attack each and end up damaging the party image,” Dr Chua said in a statement, after the results were announced. MCA delegates had denied motions to reverse the party’s rejection of Cabinet posts and to censure Liow in an emergency meeting today. The two motions were the headlines of today’s EGM that was attended by 2,199 candidates of the 2,385 eligible. Liow narrowly escaped the bid to censure him over his alleged failure as the party’s election director in the May 5 general election, with 54 percent of the votes, or 1,190 voting against the motion. Dr Chua’s climbdown today comes just a week after he attacked Liow as “weak”, “indecisive”, and “not a fighter”. The party president previously pledged to step down when MCA holds its elections next month but recent remarks such as him saying he could not leave the party in Liow’s hands suggest he may not keep to his word. Last week, recently sacked party veteran Datuk Lee Hwa Beng told The Malay Mail Online that he predicted the delegates will vote in their own interests, as they are eyeing the hundreds of government posts left vacant for the party members. “And unfortunately, the delegates are not going to vote according to who will be better for the Chinese community. “They like to bet on the winning horse, it is all for survival. This is the MCA culture,” the former central committee member said. Today, the delegates, overwhelmingly approved two other motions that will now open the door for MCA members to accept senatorships, take up any government positions at the state and federal levels except for Cabinet posts, and at government-linked companies, that were part of the party’s pledge to reject such appointments following a weaker showing in Election 2013. Following the EGM today, the party will hold its national elections on December 21 and its annual general meeting (AGM) the next day. dlvr.it/49TNt2
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 10:12:53 +0000
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