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KUALA LUMPUR: Thirteen central committee members of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) have resigned in a bid to force a party election.
MCA is a component member of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
The mass resignation was led by Malaysia's Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai and 12 other members of the MCA's highest decision-making body.
Time is running out for crisis-hit MCA, according to Liow, who is also the MCA vice-president. Liow insists that a fresh election is the only way to restore MCA's integrity and credibility.
He said: "I have said earlier we want it as soon as possible. We cannot drag any longer. The party needs to be revived - the party needs to resolve its crisis - we have to do it fast."
Earlier, he led the 12 central committee members to submit their resignation letters to party secretary general Wong Fong Meng.
However, Liow still does not have the numbers to trigger a re-election. According to the party's constitution, two-thirds or at least 21 members of the 30-member central committee need to resign before there can be a re-election.
The 49-year-old health minister now risks being marginalised after a bitter fallout with party president Ong Tee Kiat.
Ong has since forged an uneasy alliance with his number two, Chua Soi Lek, after both lost in no-confidence votes at a party EGM in October.
MCA veterans are warning that the survival of the 60-year-old party is at stake.
Wong Mook Leang, a central committee member, said: "Warning has been given by leaders of BN again and again, 'if you don't settle the crisis of MCA, which has gotten so intense and so bad, soon there will be no MCA to talk about.'"
Prime Minister Najib Razak has said he is concerned that the intense political infighting may further erode Chinese voters' confidence in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in the next general election. He wants the MCA crisis to be resolved as soon as possible.
- CNA/ir
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