The forthcoming MCA's triennial party polls took a twist today when a relatively unknown party member unexpectedly announced his decision to challenge current deputy president Chan Kong Choy.

Chan Tse Yuen, a former MCA Youth deputy chief in the early 1990s, said his grassroots support and his burning desire to continue serving the party and the Chinese community compelled him to make a political comeback.

"I feel the time is right to do so after 12 years in the political wilderness. I am more mature now. The political environment in the party now is also conducive for me to make a political comeback," he told malaysiakini when met at the Bankers Club in Kuala Lumpur today.

The 53-year-old lawyer by training also stressed that he was not aligned to either the Team A or Team B factions during the MCA's three-year-long internal squabble.

He denied that he was a proxy for any leader to challenge Kong Choy.

"I was asked by my grassroots to contest. In fact, every time when there is a party election in the past, I have been asked to contest for a post but I had declined," he recalled.

'The post suits me most'

Tse Yuen joined the MCA in 1979. The last post he held was as the youth deputy chief from 1990 to 1993. He was the deputy to Kong Choy who was the youth chief then.

In 1993, he lost his post to Fu Ah Kiow, the current MCA vice-president. He then left the political scene to continue his law studies.

Tse Yuen described his relationship with Kong Choy (photo) as "good" although they have not been in contact for a long time.

He believed his 12-year hiatus from active politics should not be a 'minus' point for him in the contest, saying that he has a 50-50 chance.

Asked why he chose to go for the deputy presidency, he replied that "the post suits me most".

"If you have a table, then you must find a chair that suits the height of the table. The table is akin to the party," he said.

Tse Yuen explained that his contest was in the spirit of democracy in the MCA and not about destabilising the party.

"If you think I can do a better job, then come with me. I always think there is room for improvement in the current leadership. 'They are good' does not mean 'they are the best'," he said.

Endorsement for Tee Keat

Meanwhile, at a separate press conference, MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat announced his intention to contest the vice-presidency after chairing a three-hour-long youth wing's central committee meeting today.

According to Tee Keat, his decision was endorsed unanimously by the youth wing.

So far, five other MCA leaders have declared their intention to contest for the four vice-president posts. They are incumbents Dr Fong Chan Onn, Dr Chua Soi Lek, Fu Ah Kiow, newcomer Donald Lim and former three-term vice-president Yap Pian Hon. More leaders are expected to announce their intention to contest the same post.

At the same venue, MCA Youth joint-secretaries Liow Tiong Lai and Loh Seng Kok also declared their intention to vie for the youth wing's chief and deputy chief posts respectively in the upcoming polls.