Ong Tee Keat, President of MCA .
-Dr Chua has a right to appeal to the party's central committee within 14 days, but most of its members are allied to party president Ong Tee Keat.
MALAYSIA'S largest Chinese party was thrown into turmoil on Wednesday after its top leadership sacked its deputy president Chua Soi Lek over an old sex scandal.
Dr Chua, 65, was sacked as a member of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) for tarnishing its image after the wide circulation of a DVD early last year, showing him having sex with an unknown woman.
The MCA's presidential council made the decision late last night following a recommendation from the party's disciplinary committee.
'We did so with a heavy heart after giving much consideration to the damage inflicted upon the party image brought about by his sex scandal as featured in the DVD,' party president Ong Tee Keat read from a statement after the meeting.
He said the presidential council collectively made the decision, in the best interests of the party. He also said he will brief Prime Minister Najib Razak about the decision. Later PM states that MCA has the right to sack Dr Chua , and will consider it as an Internal Matter and will not interfere.
The complaint against Dr Chua was brought by Mr Eng Cheng Guan, the Simpang Renggam division chief, who later withdrew it. The disciplinary committee, however, decided to go ahead with its proceedings.
'The decision comes as no surprise because there has been a sustained attempt by the MCA president to subvert the wishes of the rank and file, and end my political career,' Dr Chua wrote in his blog. He has a right to appeal to the party's central committee within 14 days, but most of its members are allied to Mr Ong.
Mr Ong and Dr Chua have been at loggerheads since the latter won the deputy president's post last October. It was a new lease of life after he was forced to resign as Health Minister last year when the video shot secretly in a hotel room made its rounds.
His tussle with Mr Ong began in earnest after the president left his deputy out of significant party appointments, thus limiting his reach within the grassroots. This was clearly to curtail Dr Chua's power base.
The internal troubles will distract the MCA further, as it is still unable to win back Chinese voters to the Barisan Nasional (BN). t is unclear what Dr Chua's next step will be. He has ruled out joining another party, and at any rate, he will find it hard to cross over to the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat as a few former BN leaders have done.
---------------------------MCA deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek has been formally sacked from the party for damaging the party's reputation due to his sex scandal.
At a press conference at 12.15am at the party headquarters, MCA
president Ong Tee Keat announced that the presidential council had
endorsed the recommendation of the party's disciplinary committee to sack Chua over the matter.
"We did so with a heavy heart after giving much consideration to the
damage inflicted upon the party image, brought about by the sex
scandal featured in the DVD.
"This decision has been made in the best interest of the party," said Ong, reading from a prepared text after a marathon five-hour meeting.
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Earlier, Chua, when asked if he would join the opposition if he was sacked, shot back with a flat "No!" without hesitation.
Upon arriving at the MCA headquarters in Jalan Ampang, Chua was asked to predict how the presidential council meeting would go.
He replied by grabbing his neck with his hand and said three times: "Gantung mati (hanged to death)".
Chua was not allowed to participate in the meeting, which started about 9pm, as he was an interested party.
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Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said he will not interfere in the internal matters of MCA unless he is invited to act as an intermediary.
The premier said this when asked to comment on the MCA presidential council's decision to sack party deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek last night.
Najib said MCA should solve the crisis on its own, and the only thing he had told MCA president Ong Tee Keat is that the matter should not affect Barisan Nasional.
"My only concern as BN chairperson is to ensure that whatever action taken by the individual parties do not affect the whole interest of BN.
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Dr Chua confess he the man in the video.
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