Dr Chua Soi Lek lead Party Affairs Management Committee for the smooth running of its administration machinery

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat Monday announced the formation of a Party Affairs Management Committee for the smooth running of its administration machinery.

He said the setting up of the committee, headed by MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, had been decided following the meeting of the party’s Presidential Council (PC) which lasted more than three hours at the Wisma MCA, here.

Besides Dr Chua, other members of the committee are the four MCA vice-presidents namely Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and Tan Kok Hong.

“Following a thorough and comprehensive study, a party affairs management committee was set up to mobilise and strengthen further the party’s administrative machinery,” he said at a media conference which was also attended by Dr Chua, after chairing the Presidential Council meeting.

Besides the formation of the committee, Ong said the PC meeting also decided that the MCA would give more attention to the development of education for poor Chinese students.

“This time, our (MCA) focus is directed at the Chinese students who are very poor, who are studying in private secondary schools. We decided that a mechanism or a fund would be set up to determine the number of such students nationwide who would be given aid,” he said.

On the development of the national type Chinese schools (SJKC), Ong said the MCA had obtained an allocation of RM95 million from the federal government earlier, for 20 schools, comprising seven new SJKC and 13 SJKC which would be relocated to sites which had been identified.

“We have to monitor the amount of the allocation so that they can be utilised effectively,” he said.

On the update on party election, Ong let his deputy, Dr Chua, who is also the MCA Special Committee for fresh party elections chairman, to answer.

Dr Chua said : “We did (discuss), (but) I didn’t table any report because the last date to submit the resignation letter is on Dec 25. So to me, it’s a bit premature if I were to table it officially. I would like to hold a meeting after Dec 25, and based on the number of people who resigned, then we will make the necessary recommendation or report to the Central Committee (CC),” he said.

Meanwhile, the PC meeting today was only attended by 10 of the 17 members.

Those who attended were Ong, Dr Chua, Dr Ng, treasurer-general Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng, Datuk Loke Yuen Yow, Datuk Ti Lian Ker, Tan Cheng Liang, Gan Ping Sieu, Wong Hock Aun, and Senator Heng Seai Kie.

Asked on the absence of the seven PC members, including Liow and Tan Kok Hong which could be due to their protest against his leadership, Ong said: “Some of them are on leave and at the same time, there are also others who are now on official duty abroad. You can check with the secretariat, people can speculate in thousand and one ways but this is the truth.”

– BERNAMA