Disciplinary action against Chua vetoed

Two MCA presidential council members reject calls for Chua to be referred to the disciplinary committee over his Penang port chairman position.

PETALING JAYA: The ambitious plan of MCA’s Save Party Committee 3.0 to topple Dr Chua Soi Lek by referring him to the party disciplinary committee was hit by a rough start with two presidential council members saying that Chua has not erred.

The anti-Chua movement announced on Thursday that they would urge the party presidential council to refer Chua to the disciplinary committee for not resigning from his Penang Port chairman position.

This, they said, has violated the party’s “no government post” stance, which the party pledged if it fared worst in the 13th general election.

The movement, which comprised eight MCA division chairmen, also said they would resolve to get one third of the central committee members to impeach Chua should the first move fails.

Responding to this, MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said there is no basis for hauling Chua to the disciplinary committee because the presidential council has already decided in June that the party members are barred from only four government positions.

The four are village heads, local councillor, state executive councillor and ministerial posts.

“Besides the four, a party member who holds a contractual post can continue until the tenure expires. The rest of the posts are not affected,” he told FMT through a phone interview.

“That’s why (MCA vice president) Ng Yen Yen can continue to be the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board chairman,” he added.

MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok also mirrored the sentiment, saying that the presidential council has also resolved to allow members to hold government positions which are shunned by the party.

“Penang Port Chairman is a position appointed by the Prime Minister and not one identified by the party to avoid.

“(The Save Party Committee) is uttering nonsense when it said it would ask the disciplinary committee to take action against Chua,” he said in a statement.

“It is obvious that this irrelevant issue is raised now because party election is coming,” he added.

Gan: Nay to quit move
The Save Party Committee 3.0, which was formed after the 13th general election, have intensified the call for Chua’s head to roll despite Chua’s pledge not to defend his post in the upcoming party polls.

When asked about his opinion on this, Gan said he would prefer a smooth transition of power within the party rather than a leader quitting abruptly.

“Anyone who does any major move at this juncture will create a different set of problems, even a power vacuum.

“For example, when Lee San Choon quit as president overnight in 1983, the party was left in the lurch,” he said.