Amid calls to sack the two MCA backbenchers who abstained from voting on an opposition motion in the Penang state assembly last month, the party has turned the table on Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon when it asked him to explain eight more missing votes from Barisan Nasional on the motion.

MCA disciplinary committee chairperson Kam Woon Wah said a letter faxed to Koh this afternoon include the "what happened to the eight missing votes?" question.

"This (information) will help us to come to a fair and quick decision. The two from MCA are now accused of not voting (in the interest of BN). We want to know what happened to the other eight. It cannot be double standard, can it?

"He (Koh) is the BN Penang chairperson so he is the right man we should write to. He is also the complainant in the case on behalf of the state BN," said Kam after chairing a one-hour committee meeting at party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

He said only 18 out of 30 BN state assembly members voted against a DAP motion on Nov 21 in Penang state assembly to defer the RM1.02 billion Penang Outer Ring Road (Porr) project.

The remaining 12 included the eight absentees: Hilmi Abdul Rashid (Umno-Bertam), Dr Sak Cheng Lum (MCA-Bagan Jermal), Lau Chiek Tuan (MCA-Berapit), Dr Toh Kin Woon (Gerakan-Machang Bubuk), Lee Hack Teik (MCA-Pengkalan Kota), Lim Gim Soon (MCA-Kampong Kolam), Lim Chien Aun (MCA-Bayan Lepas), and Syed Ameruddin Syed Ahmad (Umno-Telok Kumbar).

Another state assembly member Abd Roni A Hasan (Umno-Permatang Berangan) was on leave that day. Yahaya Abdul Hamid (Umno-Pinang Tunggal) was the speaker.

Friday meeting

Kam said he hoped Koh would reply to his letter before the committee meets again on Friday morning to hear the statements from the two 'errant' state assembly members Lim Boo Chang (Datuk Keramat) and Tan Cheng Liang (Jawi).

MCA Penang chairperson Wong Kam Hoong and his predecessor Sak will be present as well to give their statements at the hearing, he added.

The disciplinary committee chairperson also said he hoped to conclude the case after the hearing and to recommend the actions to be taken against the duo to the presidential council headed by MCA chief Dr Ling Liong Sik as soon as possible.

Asked to comment on speculation that the duo may have their party membership suspended for between three and six months, Kam said, "I don't know, I haven't heard their case. After hearing the case, we will decide".

He said the committee's decision and recommendation will be based on merits and facts and not pressure from any component party in BN.

Sack call

BN leaders including Penang state chief Koh, who is also Gerakan vice-president, had called for the sacking of Boo Chang and Tan who were said to have breached BN discipline by abstaining their votes.

Umno supreme council had recommended on Nov 29 that the duo should be sacked as was the case with former Gerakan Sabah chairperson Kong Hong Ming in 1996.

Kong, a Sabah state assembly member then, had abstained from voting on the Forest Enactment (Amendment) Bill 1968 proposed by the ruling coalition. He was expelled from the party two months later.

However, Umno president and BN chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would leave it to MCA to deal with its two state assembly members.

Last week, MCA president Ling passed the case to the party's disciplinary committee which was assigned with the task to recommend suitable actions against the duo to the presidential council.

Delay tactic

Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye criticised the move as a delaying tactic by MCA to avoid taking actions against the two.

BN secretary-general Mohamed Rahmat said the ruling coalition under its constitution was empowered to take disciplinary action against members of any component party and suggested that a committee headed by BN deputy chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi be set up to hear the case.

But Ling insisted that any disciplinary matter involving members of BN component parties must be dealt with based on the constitution of the component party concerned.

Several MCA middle-ranking leaders have also questioned why BN did not take actions against five Umno state assembly members who did not vote against the Syariah Enactment 1993 and the Syariah Criminal Bill (Hudud and Qisas) 2002 in PAS-ruled Kelantan and Terengganu respectively.