The Kuching Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced today that 30 candidates have withdrawn from the list of 65 vying for management committee posts.

This means there will be no contest for 35 posts in the forthcoming elections, incumbent president Wee Kok Tiong told a press conference this morning.

This list includes Wee himself and property developer Lee Chong Lin, his rival who will take over the post of deputy president, succeeding incumbent Lee Kim Sin.

Richard Wee Liang Chiat, the managing director of Eastern Oxygen Sdn Bhd, will be the new vice-president in what local media reported as a 30:5 formula in resolving the factional dispute for control of the chamber.

Another of Lee's supporters, Lu Kim Yong, will be deputy secretary-general and Lim Ah Teck, also aligned to the group, will be made the deputy treasurer general. The fifth Lee supporter in the committee is Lu Thian Sing.

United chamber

Wee spoke only briefly to the press, saying that he was presenting"'a happy and united chamber" as there would be no contest for the 35 posts with the withdrawal of 30 candidates from the original list.

He gave no indication as to what posts the candidates would be allocated under the formula, but said he would leave it to the management committee to decide whether or not to retain him as president.

The committee will meet on March 18 to decide who will fill various posts on the committee.

Sources told malaysiakini that, apart from the five already identified as aligned with Lee, there are at least 10 'neutral' members deemed as good as elected with the announcement today.

In other words, although the incumbent president and his group brought in some 800 new members recently and the rival group half that number, they do not count as far as voting is concerned.

"Between now and March 18, campaigning of some sort can be expected," said a member of the management committee who declined to be named.