KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 24, 2009) : MCA leaders took a step towards solving their party crisis when the two rival factions sat down together with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin last night.

They agreed that fresh party elections should be held to resolve the crisis but failed to come up with a date.

Party deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, represented MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, at the meeting. Also present was vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Chua said today the two factions agreed that fresh elections be held to resolve the crisis.

However, the only thing "troubling" them was the date.

Liow wants the elections to be held by the end of the year or January at the latest, while Chua has suggested that the elections should be held in March.

"Many, including the party leaders and central delegates, will go on holiday in December; that's why I feel that December will be very difficult to hold the elections," Chua said.

"We need 21 days to send out notices to the delegates to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) and nominations for fresh polls will take seven days, all we need are 28 days and the AGM is falling on Dec 5," he said.

"It is also the same for January and February because many will be occupied by school opening and Chinese New Year. I opine that best time and also for the secretariat to get ready for elections will be in March," he said after chairing the meeting for the special committee on electoral system reform.

Chua said Ong had also agreed for fresh elections but he would prefer the elections to be held six or eight months later in direct election method.

"Ong might think that direct election will be better for the party, but if we want to use the present (electoral) system, we can have the elections in a shorter time," he said.

Chua commented that Liow should call off the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Saturday to show his commitment and support to the effort of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and Muhyiddin to help resolve the crisis.

He said he had proposed during the meeting with Muhyiddin and Liow, that the central leadership will remain status quo so that Liow can have a peace mind that there will no more reshuffle in the party leadership.

Asked if Ong's faction will compromise for the fresh polls to be held in January, Chua said he had clearly stated that the best timing is March.

"There is no such thing as compromise, we are talking about a suitable date which is comfortable to the leaders and central delegates. We cannot have elections when the delegates are busy with their own things and the turnout may not be good," he said.

On Monday, Muhyiddin said he intended to get a decision for the two factions to agree on a formula to resolve the crisis by Dec 1 before Najib returns from abroad.

Asked if he is confident that a decision can be reached within a week, Chua said he has no idea but Muhyiddin will communicate to Ong, who will return today (Wednesday), directly on the peace talk.

He also said the special committee had proposed that branch delegates will be included as the central delegates to make a better and democratic representation to elect the central committee by increasing the number of central delegates from the currently 2,400 to 30,000.

He said to have all one million party members for direct election will create a lot of problems especially on the monitoring of polling, logistics and expenditure.

However, he said the direct election system will take about six to eight months to be ready because it will need more meetings to outline the details as well as another EGM to amend the party constitution.

Wong Foon Meng

Wong Nai Chee

Party secretary-general Datuk Wong Foon Meng, who was present at the press conference, said circulars to discourage central delegates from attending the Nov 28 EGM, which is deemed unconstitutional to call for fresh polls within 30 days as well as to nullify the decisions made by Ong after the Oct 10 EGM, had been sent out on Monday.

Meanwhile, CC member and Nov 28 EGM requisitionist Wong Nai Chee told the Press that the EGM will go on on Saturday if there is no definite decision such as the date for fresh polls, made by the party leaders on fresh polls.

He said it is important to give the delegates a clear direction that the EGM is still on as the leaders have yet to reach a decision.

He also said he did not see the EGM as an obstacle to the peace talk because the EGM was requisitioned under the party constitution.

"We have estimated that half of the (2,380) central delegates will attend the EGM. We have also raised RM131,556 as the fund for the EGM and we also booked air tickets for delegates from the east coast and East Malaysia," he said.