Wee: EGM 2 will go on despite attempts to derail it

The MCA extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Nov 28 would be held as scheduled despite attempts to derail it, MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong said today.

He said it was the right of delegates to requisition an EGM to determine the direction of the party and resolve problems it faced.

"They (the attempts) will not prevent us (from holding the second EGM) despite attempts to raise controversy.

"It is the delegates who will determine the fate of the party," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

Yesterday, after a dialogue between top party leaders and 620 grassroots leaders, MCA deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the second EGM was considered invalid because the resolutions to be brought were contrary to the party constitution.

He said the delegates who attended the dialogue had agreed not to attend the EGM.

Rekindle the spirit

Wee, who is deputy education minister, said dissuading delegates from attending the second EGM had made them lose confidence in the party's credibility.

"The EGM of Oct 10 approved a resolution but it could not be implemented. If we had known that the resolution would not be implemented, it was unnecessary for us to have passed a vote of no-confidence in the president," he said.

He said the second EGM was being held to rekindle the spirit to restore MCA's integrity and to save the party from the frequent leadership problems.

Wee, who is a member of the Central Committee (CC), denied that the EGM would disunite the party, saying it was just an assumption.

Unconvinced by Ong's pledge

On another matter, Wee was unconvinced by party president Ong's pledge that he might endorse fresh elections when the party is stable, reports S Pathmawathy.

Wee said today that having direct elections was one of the manifesto promised by Ong when he contested for presidency last year.

According to Wee, the president had then held back on the suggestion for direct elections as he said the amendments cannot be hurried.

"I still remember that we had discussed this in many presidential council meetings and at that time it (was) decided that we needed more time and should not rush.

"Direct elections involves many technicalities and it needs at least two thirds of the delegates to pass amendments in EGM," Wee said, referring to deputy president Chua's suggestion that fresh polls may be held within the next year.

That may take one year and it will not be an easy process, said Wee, adding that another EGM will be required to amend the constitution.