Sixteen Chinese associations today called on MCA leaders who will be elected at the party polls on Saturday to sell the party's shares in Nanyang Holdings Bhd.

Representing a wide cross-section of Chinese groups throughout the country, they said in a joint statement today that they remain firmly opposed to control of the media by political parties.

Nanyang Holdings publishes the Chinese dailies Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press.

Among the groups that signed the statement were Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Malaysian Youth and Student Democratic Movement, SOS Damansara Committee, Selangor-Kuala Lumpur LiHua Graduates Association, Penang Graduates Association, Penang Suaram and Free Media dot Com.

They also urged central delegates to pay particular attention to the stand of the candidates on this issue, including previously held views on the contentious matter which exacerbated a split in the party.

Quoted a AC Nielson report, they pointed out that since MCA took over Nanyang Holdings, the number of readers of Nanyang Siang Pau had dropped from 509,000 in 1999 to 277,000 last year - proof that it is losing readers.

"After MCA took over, there was a reduction in freedom of speech including the removal of sections like Nanyang Forum and New Surges," they said.

"This is far from (then party president Dr Ling Liong Sik's) initial boast that the paper would do as well as (another MCA-controlled paper) The Star and would become an international level publication."

The groups said the withdrawal of MCA representatives from the top management level of Nanyang and opening up of space for press freedom would restore the newspaper's "vitality".

They said MCA central delegates must re-evaluate the investment decision, to determine if it was correct. At the same time, election candidates should "clearly express their stand" in response to this appeal by Chinese society.