Vote with your conscience, Liow reminds delegates

Minutes before MCA tables a motion to censure Liow, he urges delegates to vote with their conscience and serve him justice.

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai urged the MCA delegates attending the extraordinary general meeting today to vote with their conscience, minutes before the party scheduled to table a motion to censure him for failures in the past general election-related duties.

Passing of the motion would be a major blow for Liow who is seeking to contest for the MCA presidency on Dec 22 and a victory over his internal rival, Chua Soi Lek; whose supporters had called for the EGM.

In the last ditch of efforts, Liow and his ally, youth chief Wee Ka Siong, went table by table to greet the delegates this morning at the dining area outside of Wisma MCA.

They even patted the delegates’ chest before they entered the meeting hall.

“This means vote with your conscience. Serve me justice and defend the party dignity,” Liow told reporters when asked the meaning of his gesture.

He said he is happy about the positive feedback given by party delegates and he is confident that they would vote wisely.

The speaker announced that the EGM attendance was 92.2% out of 2,385 delegates. Voting results is expected to be released at 2pm.

The motion to censure Liow is widely seen as an attempt by party president Dr Chua Soi Lek to discredit his deputy as both are engaged in a power struggle.

Chua has said MCA and its member would benefit should the party succeed in censuring Liow, saying that it would serve as a reminder for party leaders to perform their duties and refrain from attacking the party.

On the other hand, Liow cried foul that the motion is an attempt of character assassination, claiming that Chua has resorted to wild allegations in a bid to rationalize the motion.

The EGM would also vote on three motions in relations to the revocation of MCA’s “no government post” resolution.