MCA Team B today made its first move to reveal details concerning phantom members in the party and falling under its cross-hairs was the Selangor states new membership list, which the faction claims contains 14,000 dubious names.

Wanita deputy chief Dr Tan Yee Kew said of the total figure  5,000 Kuala Langat; and 1,000 Klang.

Among these, Kapar witnessed the highest membership increase since last June, with some 7,369 new members spread over four branches under the division Although the party constitution allows people from one state to become members in another state, what is the rationale for doing that, and at such a big number? she asked during a press conference at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

The MCA state liaison chairperson for both Selangor and Johor is party president Dr Ling Liong Sik who helms Team A.

According to Tan, complaints were lodged with the party election steering committee regarding this but no investigation was conducted.

Even the names were not deleted to date, lamented Tan.

It was for this reason, she said, Team B had lost its confidence in the steering committee headed by party secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh and pushed for the setting up of an independent verification committee through an extraordinary general meeting.

Police reports

Meanwhile, MCA Serdang division chairperson Yap Pian Hon said numerous police reports were lodged by those who recently found out that they were recruited as MCA members unwittingly.

To support his allegation, he showed reporters a copy of a police report dated April 4 which he said was made by a college student from Puchong, Selangor.

The student, according to Yap, had received an invitation letter to attend the MCA Segambut branch meeting last month.

However, he said he was unaware of the status of police investigations into the reports and whether any MCA leader had been called up for questioning.

The veteran leader also criticised party chief Ling for obstructing Team B from convening an EGM to settle the controversy surrounding the membership list as the Team A leader himself had also done the same when phantom members were haunting the party in the run-up to the 1984 MCA elections.

It is the same thing then and now, so whats wrong if we call for an EGM? Why should he be so scared of the meeting? asked Yap who was also present at the press conference.

Grassroots briefed about EGM

On the latest update of the EGM, central committee member Tang See Hang said they had briefed the grassroots of MCA Selangor this morning about the importance of the meeting.

He also said he was confident that many of the 427 delegates from the state will attend the EGM to exercise their rights as representatives of their respective divisions.

Last Friday, Team B had requisitioned for an EGM on behalf of 810 of the total 2,384 delegates. The EGM will seek to clean up the membership list which the faction claimed to be tainted and unclean, particularly among the 138,000 new members recruited late last year.

The faction is also seeking to revoke the suspension imposed upon the partys Youth wing since last December.

Party secretary-general Ting subsequently ruled that the meeting could not be convened as 49 delegates withdrew their signatures from the petition, making it less than one-third of the delegates as required by the party constitution.

However, on Tuesday, the three requisitionists, including Tang defied the ruling and issued a notice for the EGM to be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on April 21.

In response to this, Ting yesterday said the party headquarters will not acknowledge the outcome of the EGM.

Also present at this afternoons press conference was Youth chief Ong Tee Keat and a handful of supporters.