KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 -- MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek will be chairing a meeting of the direct election task force tomorrow morning as a follow up to the dialogue with party division leaders on Nov 16.
Dr Chua is known to be backing a direct presidential election system for the party instead of the current proportional one.
He says that putting in place such a system would take six to eight months as it would require a constitutional amendment.
Dr Chua and his rival Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai are currently at odds over a suitable date for fresh party elections to end a protracted power struggle with the former preferring to have elections earliest in March next year and preferably after the constitution has been amended to allow direct elections while the latter pushing for an election by the end of this year.
An early election could give the Liow faction an edge as the move to revamp the presidential council by dropping Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, described as a “public relations disaster”, has stirred anger among some MCA delegates.
Wee and Chew are head of the youth and women’s wing respectively and by convention are appointed to the presidential council as are the other three deputy ministers that were aligned to Liow who were also axed.
Liow’s critics however point out that MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has the constitutional perrogative to make appointments as he sees fit and Wee and Chew were not popularly elected to the council.
Nevertheless, the revamp gave rise to the negative perception among some delegates that the president was getting personal and this could benefit Liow.
Those critical of the Liow faction also assert that if fresh elections are called, Wee and Chew should also resign as head of their respective wings so as to “even the playing field”.
Liow on the other hand has said that the party cannot afford to “waste any more time” in its bid to end the power struggle and restore democracy.
“Putting in place a direct election system would take some time,” he said.
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