Wanita MCA Chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun had vowed to quit if Dr Chua ever became MCA president

Chew to fall on sword as vowed

KUALA LUMPUR, April 2 — As promised, Wanita MCA chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun will quit from her party post next week.

In a statement to the media this afternoon, Chew made a clear indication of her intention to stick to the pledge she had made earlier, but pointed out that she would only make her decision known after next Thursday’s Wanita MCA central committee meeting.

“My stand has not changed. I have expressed my stand clearly and I shall not be held liable if there is anyone who still could not comprehend what I have said.

“In respect to when and where I should make known my decision publicly, I feel that I need not respond in accordance to anyone’s schedule,” she said in the statement.

Chew, who just returned to Kuala Lumpur today after a trip to Bangkok for an inter-parliamentary conference since March 29, had vowed before last year’s extraordinary general meeting on Oct 10 that she would quit her party post if Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek were voted in as president.

In the hotly contested party polls last Sunday, Dr Chua, the party’s former deputy president whose political career was stained with a sex scandal, clinched presidency.

Since then, talk has cantered on whether Chew would stick to her guns or reverse her decision.

In Chew’s absence, a media blitz took place, with parties trying to second-guess her next move; some even moving to encourage her to do so.

Dr Chua, in the meantime, had been careful in his words when speaking about Chew and made no move to urge the Wanita leader to quit.

“For the stability of Wanita, Chew Mei Fun will have to think carefully. I don’t take to heart what was in the past. This is how we succeed,” he had been quoted as saying two days ago.

Despite his graciousness however, it looks as if Chew has no intention to stay on and work with the man she had been criticising strongly for so long.

In her statement, she went on to say that although she would be willing to give her supporters space to express their opinions before she made her intention public, she would still not renege on her promise.

“Of late, many have persuaded me to stay through SMSes, emails and phone calls. However, there are also those who have created a Facebook group demanding my immediate resignation.

“As a Wanita National Chairman, I am shouldering a lot of support and hopes. They have a close relationship with me and we share common goals. As such, I feel the need to give them a space to express their opinions before I make any public announcement,” she said.

She added that she would hold private meetings with those who had requested to see her upon her return today but maintained that “once they have expressed their opinions, I will have to explain to them the decision which I have already made and my stand.”

Chew also called on all quarters to maintain patience and allow her to make the necessary arrangements as well as meet with the Wanita CC members next Thursday before making her announcement.

“I hope when I finally make the announcement in accordance to my initial intention, it will cause minimal ripples and at the same time will not bring about any quandary to the party,” she said