MCA Team B today welcomed party president Dr Ling Liong Sik's recent suggestion to set up an independent body to verify the membership list before the party elections take place in June.

Party deputy president Lim Ah Lek said several issues over the membership list have evoked concern and doubts within the party.

According to him, among the issues are the large number of members approved within the last six months of last year and the endorsement of over 500 Youth branches in December.

"The independent body was important as Dr Ling said, we want to uphold and protect the integrity and credibility of the party. There should be no room for phantom voters," said Lim in a statement.

"The figures of more than 4,000 branches and over one million members need to be verified," he added.

On Tuesday, Ling when announcing measures to ensure a fair play in the forthcoming party election said he is prepared to set up an independent body to verify the membership list so that it is "free of any discrepancies".

He said well-respected non-party members are also allowed to sit on the board of the body.

Apart from that, Ling said the membership list will be displayed for 21 days at all branches, instead of six days previously, to give sufficient time to party members to study the list.

Earlier this week, party secretary-general Dr Ting Chew Peh announced the setting up of a steering committee to monitor the conduct of the party elections.

Ting said the party expected a rise in the number of delegates from some 2,300 to nearly 3,000 following an increase of members.

Right move

When contacted, MCA Wanita deputy chief Dr Tan Yee Kew told malaysiakini that Ling's suggestion of an independent body to verify the membership list was "in the right direction".

However, she added the proposal had to be implemented carefully to ensure that the body remains truly independent.

"Its members must be selected based on the list of nominees by both parties and its chairperson must be agreeable to all," she said.

Tan, who is linked to the party's Team B, said it is best for the body to leave the assessment of the membership list to an audit company.

"We are talking about 140,000 members signed up from June to December last year. It is not going to be easy if the party were to go through all these names by itself," she said.

Latest figures show that MCA, the second largest party within the ruling coalition, has 1.04 million members, compared to some 900,000 a year before.

The party elections are likely to start at branch level in March, followed by division level in April, state in May, and party in June.

This year's contest for the party presidency is expected to be a straight-fight between Team A chief Ling and a candidate from the opposing Team B, led by his deputy Lim.

PM meets feuding parties

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he had met with MCA leaders from Team A on Monday and Team B yesterday.

"I wanted to hear from them about their problems and it is my responsibility to know the true situation.

"The [party] problems have not been resolved yet but we will find a way to resolve them," said Mahathir, who is also the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional chairperson.

When asked on the possibility that the MCA would have two presidents like the problematic PBRS in Sabah, he laughed and said that it was only speculation by the press.

"The press would speculate to make more news. This the ideal situation for the press when people punch each other," he said.

Asked to comment on the internal problems of several component parties within the BN, he said it was expected.

"Component parties in the BN number between12 and 13, how can you not have problems? Even loving couples have problems," he added.