KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today lauded the resignation of MCA branch leader Collin Tiew, who had come under fire recently following his involvement in Perkasa’s Chinese New Year “white ang pow” fiasco.

“The fact that one of our MCA branch leaders, who is also a community worker, has resigned from MCA, I thank him for taking responsibility,” Dr Chua told reporters at a press conference here.

The MCA president said Tiew “was doing community and charity work”. However this led to some quarters linking the MCA with Perkasa’s Chinese New Year open house.

Tiew, a Sri Desa MCA branch chairman, announced yesterday his decision to relinquish all his party positions following his involvement in the controversy.

He said he attended the event as the leader of a welfare group and that the MCA should not be dragged into the controversy.

Tiew said he would submit his resignation letter to the MCA headquarters today, citing his inactiveness in the party as the main reason behind the move.

Asked today if the MCA had issued an official order restricting members from taking part in Perkasa events, Dr Chua said: “No, we don’t do that.

“We are not like some party who talk about democracy but in a hall or in a press conference they say (government-owned media) Utusan and New Straits Times cannot attend.

“Whoever likes (us) or otherwise, are all invited.”

Last week, Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali, who is often at the centre of controversy for uttering alleged racial slurs, invited more criticism when he distributed white packets instead of the traditional red during the group’s Chinese New Year open house.

Money to help with funeral costs is usually placed in white packets by the Chinese and is known as “pak kum” in Cantonese.

But according to the group, this was because Ibrahim, who took pains to trumpet Perkasa’s struggle for the Chinese community during the function, had run out of red ang pow packets.