Ong: What EGM? Everything is fine in MCA

After weeks of speculations that the two top MCA leaders were going all out to ‘kill' each other politically, the duo today sat together to face the media.

And party president Ong Tee Keat took pains to brush aside rumours that works were ongoing in the ground - by his detractors - to call for a MCA extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

The EGM was ostensibly being called to sound out a vote of no-confidence against Ong.

Talking to journalists, along with his deputy Dr Chua Soi Lek, Ong said he was tired of replying to rumours circulating about his relationship with Chua.

Earlier the party had celebrated its 60th anniversary with much fanfare at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur.

"No EGM... what EGM? Did I call for EGM or did anybody call for an EGM?" he asked, as reported by Bernama.

"In fact for your information, I did cross-check with our CC members across the board and everybody was equally surprised," he said.

He reiterated that he had cross-checked with many central committee (CC) members and, like him, they were equally surprised with the news about the EGM.

"Sometimes many including me... we were taken aback that certain things were spinned. But of course, we cannot stop people from doing so.

"And luckily of course, when I had opportunity to cross-check with others including Dr Chua, we can get a clear picture," he added.

There has been speculation that Chua's supporters are seeking signatures from at least one-third of MCA's central delegates to call an EGM in the bid to oust the party boss.

Chua: I can work with Ong

Ong also said that he and his estranged deputy have always discussed and exchanged views on important issues and matters.

For his part, Chua reiterated the statement he made yesterday that he had no problem working with anyone including the party president and other elected members of the MCA.

Talks of a massive rift among the two surfaced as soon as both of them won their respective party posts in the party polls last October.

Chua found himself under the media spotlight once again when his old sex scandal resurfaced last week, with him now being investigated for oral sex - more than a year after the scandal originally cropped up.

Political observers note that the matter has arisen again as a way to assuage the removal of Chua from his party post.

For his part, Ong too had not been helpful in diffusing any talks of rift between the two.

Before the party polls, he had said several times that Chua lacked the moral authority to contest for top posts.

And he continued to issue statements of that nature, the most recent coming last week when he was asked if the party would back Chua in the face of the renewed sex allegations.

"Do you think we should support something that is against the law?" was his reply.