PUTRAJAYA - MCA president Ong Tee Keat believes that several party leaders who have been pushing for fresh elections instead of supporting the "Greater Unity Plan" (GUP), will come to their senses once the plan begins to take root.

"When the grassroots response favourably, and I'm sure they will, these leaders will know what is best for MCA.

"They are experienced leaders and should know that at this juncture, MCA unity takes precedences over everything else," he told Bernama in a interview here.

Ong said he did not see any reason why some leaders should oppose the efforts to bring about unity to the party or why they should fear the GUP.

"I can't take away their party posts as they were duly elected by the delegates last year. I can't remove them from the government because that's the prerogative of the prime minister. Perhaps some of them were emotional or instigated by certain quarters to reject the GUP," he said.

Based on sincere wish

Ong said the GUP is not a mathematical formula nor was it is based on quotas, but it was based on a sincere wish to have an inclusive leadership for the sake of party unity.

It was initiated by him and deputy president Dr Chua Soi Lek before it was brought to the attention of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who had given his blessings, he said.

Both Ong and Chua collectively had control over 80 per cent of the MCA delegates, going by the results in the Oct 10 extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

"The MCA is now at the implementation stage of the GUP. Top MCA leaders will embark on a road show and explain what the plan is all about," Ong said.

Based on feedback, he said, the grassroots are all for it because after a prolonged leadership problem, they wanted the party to move on and focus its resources on the people's interests and welfare.

He also explained that it was quite common for the GUP to be greeted with cynicism, especially after the party went through a protracted period of leadership problems.

"But this will only inspire me and my party colleagues to work harder to prove the cynics wrong. So far, the response to this plan has been overwhelming. Out of the 42 members in the central committee (CC), 27 have committed in writing their support for the plan.

"Dr Ng Yen Yen would have signed if not for the fact that she is now overseas on official duties. Several of those who have not signed have also indicated their willingness to do so. The GUP has the backing of two-thirds of the CC," he said.

Ong also said that the party had no choice but to move forward as there was little time left before the next general election.

Winning back lost grounds

"If you live in a glass house, you should not throw stones at each other. Everyone can see what you are doing inside and it won't take long before the house is damaged. The MCA is that glass house and we cannot afford to have a damaged party if we are serious about turning around our fortunes following last year's general election setbacks," he said.

He believed that the GUP would put the party in good stead to win back lost ground in time for the next general election.

After this, it would intensify efforts to woo back the voters by focusing on the party'shree thrusts - tackling economic problems, playing a more active role in mainstream politics and enhancing inter-racial unity.

"BN chairman Najib Abdul Razak recently reminded component parties to pull up our socks to win back support from the people. I give my personal assurance that I will not and must not let the pime mnister down," Ong said. - Bernama