| MCA central committee flexes muscles |  |  |
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| KUALA LUMPUR - Just when the MCA seemed all set to hold its extraordinary general meeting (EGM), in the wake of deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek's dismissal, the party's central committee (CC) has flexed its muscles to overturn the decision and suspend him for four years, instead. This begs the question of whether the power of the CC was overlooked, or even underestimated, in the fractious past weeks which saw more than a fair share of barbs traded between rival supporters of party president Ong Tee Keat and Chua. "They overlooked the CC as an independent body and pre-empted us by going straight for an EGM which should be called only as a last resort, and not the first resort. Members should not have jumped the gun," CC member Ti Lian Ker, of Pahang, told Bernama. He said, disgruntled members should have waited first to see how the CC would act before pushing for the EGM, now fixed for Oct 10, after the presidential council sacked Chua for tarnishing the party's image over a sex video scandal. CC has final say Ti said the party constitution empowered the CC to take disciplinary action against any elected party official including to suspend or to expel with the support of two-thirds of the CC members present at the meeting. Under Article 128 of the constitution, the CC has the final say on disciplinary matters and that cannot be challenged, even in a court of law. Ti said he had insisted that Chua's case be discussed at the marathon seven-hour CC meeting last Saturday. Currently, there are 43 CC members with 25 elected, seven appointed by the president while the rest are party office-bearers. Ti refuted that the CC's move was tantamount to a lack of confidence in the presidential council, adding that at the same meeting, the CC had overturned other disciplinary decisions, as well. Party sources said Chua's case was brought up by Senator Wong Siong Hwee from Kelantan and all were given the opportunity to express their views, including the most senior CC member, Wong Mook Leong. Wong re-told his experience when he was sacked during the party crisis in the 1980s, expressing that a suspension would have a similar effect as an expulsion, the source said. "Some CC members sympathised with Chua. They felt there was no need to push an already broken man and believed he should be given a chance to salvage a bit of his shattered honour," it added. Due process must follow Others felt that it was not appropriate and an act of disrespect to the central delegates, for the CC to discuss the matter as the rival factions had already agreed to the EGM and agenda.
"If we stop at the presidential council level, it can be argued later that the decision is invalid because the due proces was not complete," he said. A political observer, who declined to be named, views the CC's decision as a move to neutralise the symphathy factor towards Chua for the EGM, to "take some wind away from the sail". The suspension may cause part of the 2,377 delegates to reconsider their views and swing away from Chua as he would only be a party member after four years. After all, Chua had said he wanted to die an MCA member, the observer noted. - Bernama |
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