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Sunday, March 13, 2011

MCA says braced for snap polls

Dr Chua said it was important for MCA to maintain readiness for possible snap polls. — file pic
KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 — After the successful postponement of its internal party polls today, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek expressed confidence that the party was now ready to face the coming general election.

“We are confident to face the GE as long as we are united,” he told a press conference after the party’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held here this morning.

The EGM was summoned to pass amendments to Article 167 of the MCA constitution to allow the party to postpone its internal polls when 36 months have elapsed since the last general election instead of the previous 42, and to allow the party to hold its polls six months after a general election instead of three.

“There was nearly 100 per cent support from delegates this morning on the amendments to the constitution.

“The endorsement from the central delegates indicates that they are politically matured and place party unity above all because party stability is the most important.

“Above all, we must cast aside our differences to face the coming general election,” he said.

During today’s vote, a total of 1,827 of 1,844 delegates or 99 per cent of those present voted for the amendments.

Fourteen delegates abstained from the vote while three voted against.

With the amendments, MCA has successfully avoided potentially fractious internal polls initially scheduled for this month and will only need to hold it within six months after the next general election.

Dr Chua said that the amendments would now allow MCA to focus its attention on preparing its machinery for the coming general election, speculated to be held by year-end.

“We will work very hard with other component parties in Barisan Nasional to ensure that the BN candidate wins.

“The general election can happen at any time but it is pertinent that our machinery is ready so that whenever the prime minister sets the date, we can mobilise immediately,” he said.

Dr Chua, however, stressed that MCA would not become complacent and bank all its hopes on BN’s string of by-election wins over the past year.

“We have won six out of the last seven by-elections but we are not complacent. We will continue to work to convince we are the party of choice or better choice and this needs performance,” he said.

MCA’s push to postpone its party elections comes hot on the heels of similar decisions by other BN component parties, feeding speculation that the prime minister will call for snap polls this year.

Umno, the biggest BN component party, decided in December to postpone party elections scheduled for this year by up to 18 months.

Gerakan followed suit by postponing its scheduled elections from this year to the next.

In 2007, the MCA postponed its party elections at all levels until after the general election in March 2008, where Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was elected president and Dr Chua his deputy.

However, the party later became embroiled in an internal crisis between the two top leaders and fresh polls specifically for the central leadership were held in March last year, during which Dr Chua defeated Ong for the presidency.

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