updated version MCA Penang state assembly representatives Lim Boo Chang (Dato Keramat) and Tan Cheng Lian (Jawi) were suspended indefinitely from the party today for abstaining from voting on a DAP-led motion to defer the controversial Penang Outer Road Ring (Porr) project.

The decision was made by the party's presidential council comprising 21 key leaders. It was based on the recommendation of the disciplinary committee that conducted an inquiry last Friday.

MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik, who announced the decision today, said he had also "taken the liberty to have discussions with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on one or two occasions" on the matter.

"That's my normal practice on almost all major issues, I always consult the PM because he is the father of Barisan Nasional. When he speaks from the top, you will have a wider view of things," said Ling.

He said MCA secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh would convey the decision to BN secretary-general Mohamad Rahmat.

However, he refused to disclose details of the disciplinary hearing or the charges framed against the two MCA state representatives.

"We are not going into all those details," Ling said flatly.

The party constitution allows for the duo to appeal against the decision within 14 days. The central committee's decision will be final and cannot be challenged in court.

Majority vote

Ling said Boo Chang and Tan will continue to serve their constituents as state assembly representatives, but will not be allowed to use party resources for their work.

Asked if suspension was too serious a penalty, Ling said: "I think the penalty that has been proposed is serious, but appropriate. We have decided to accept and respect the collective wisdom of the disciplinary committee."

Ling said he did not want to speculate on whether the suspension might be lifted at a later stage.

He added that 16 council members (including three proxies) voted for the suspension while central committee member Fu Ah Kiow abstained.

Fu is aligned to the four absentees from MCA Team B deputy president Lim Ah Lek and vice-presidents Chua Jui Meng and Chan Kong Choy, and Youth chief Ong Tee Keat.

The party president said he would not comment on Gerakan counterpart Dr Lim Keng Yaik's allegation that MCA Penang chairperson Wong Kam Hoong had instigated Boo Chang and Tan to abstain from voting.

"Whoever he accused of wrongdoing has already replied. I have nothing to add," he said.

On MCA's stand on the Porr, Ling said "Porr is not a federal project and people like me don't have any clue about what it is. It is a Penang outer ring road, not a Federal Territory or Johor outer ring road As far as we are concerned, we don't make a stand on things we don't know anything about."

BN brouhaha

Last month, Boo Chang and Tan abstained from voting on a DAP motion to defer the controversial RM1.02 billion Porr project.

Following this, the duo came under fire for breaching discipline as BN state assembly representatives had been instructed at a pre-council meeting two weeks earlier, to reject the motion.

Umno and Gerakan leaders demanded that MCA sack the duo, saying that discipline within BN would be tarnished if there was no stern action.

MCA passed the case to its disciplinary committee for recommendations, in line with Ling's argument that the BN charter does not have provisions to act directly against members of a component party. It can only act against the party itself.

Meanwhile, the latest poll on the MCA official website had 46 percent (or 4,053) of 8,764 respondents saying that BN should act against the duo.

This was a dramatic change from last Thursday's poll results when only six out of 157 respondents (or 4 percent) polled for 'yes' to the question 'Should action be taken against the two Penang state assembly members?'

As at 4pm today, 4,337 respondents or 49 percent said there should be no action against the duo, while 374 (or four percent) thought "BN should not be too harsh on them".