Sabah MCA councillors quit posts

Sabah MCA leaders will uphold the resolution of the presidential council not to accept posts in the state and federal government.

KOTA KINABALU: Across Sabah, all state MCA members serving as councillors in municipal councils, Hospital Visitors Boards, State Prisons Board and as Health Clinic Advisors were told today to resign with immediate effect.

Sabah MCA chief Edward Khoo said this was in accordance with decisions made during the MCA presidential council meeting last Saturday.

Khoo, who met with he state MCA division leaders yesterday to convey the president council’s decision, said it was “unanimously agreed” at state level to uphold the presidential council’s decision.

“In this meeting we unanimously agreed that the 259 Sabah MCA members who are now serving as councillors in all municipal councils, Hospital Visitors Boards, State Prisons Boards and Health Clinic Advisors throughout the state should resign from their posts with immediate effect.

“This is the decision by the presidential council. It is in line with the 2011 and 2012 MCA annual general congress resolutions, ” he told reporters here after a state level meeting. Also present were the Sabah MCA Women and Youth wing leaders.

On Sabah MCA’s future direction, Khoo said the local chapter had decided to work with the central MCA leadership appointed task force.

“We also discussed the last election and explored the the direction that Sabah MCA should take now.

“We have decided that Sabah MCA will work with the MCA central task force.

“The central leadership has appointed Liow Tiong Lai to head the task force.

“The task force will chart the direction of the party and present its report at the next central committee meeting,” he said.

Sabah MCA ‘no where’
Meanwhile, when asked if the state MCA would accept a Senator’s appointment, Khoo replied in the negative.

“We will not accept. It has been the resolution in the past two central AGMs, not only for Sabah but the whole of Malaysia not to accept.

“But we will continue to serve the people,” said Khoo alluding to speculations that MCA candidates may be brought into the federal and state administrations via the ‘backdoor’ .

Sabah MCA lost the two state seats it was given. Opposition DAP trounced both its candidates in Luyang and Kapayan.

In Luyang, Sabah MCA wanita chief Agnes Shim could only garner 2,537 votes against DAP’s Hiew King Cheu who secured 11,213 votes. In Kepayang incumbent Khoo lost to Edwin Bosi who polled 21,503 votes against his 5,733.

Overall MCA at the national also suffered embarrassing defeats. The party only managed to win seven parliamentary seats out of 37 it contested.

It also only retained 11 state seats out of 90 it contested. It was a worse outing for MCA when compared to the 2008 polls when the party won 15 parliamentary out of 40 seats and 32 out 90 state constituencies.