Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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PETALING JAYA (Aug 1): Forty one per cent of the MCA Youth branches in the country have been declared invalid, Sin Chew Daily reported, adding that the percentage may rise after the upcoming party elections.

The total number of branches has decreased by from 4,628 to 2,735, a drop of 1,893, the daily said.

This is due to the reduced interest among Chinese youths to join MCA Youth, as well as the lowering of the age limit for membership to 40 from 45.

In addition, some branches did not submit the annual fee, contributing further to the sudden drop in the number of valid branches.

MCA Youth secretary-general Datuk Chai Kim Sen told the daily that the wing's constitution requires a branch to have at least 25 members to be valid.

A branch will also be declared invalid if it does not hold its annual meeting and election to form a committee within the time limit.

Chai said it has been difficult for MCA Youth to attract people aged below 40 years, but added that the situation did not happen overnight.

Instead, the sudden drop in the number of valid branches was due more to the sudden change in the age limit as the branches were unable to make adjustments in time when the 2010 membership list was adopted for this election.

In the past, the ages of most of the MCA Youth members ranged from 40 to 45, with four fifths of the committee members in that age group.

They are now regarded as having exceeded the age limit, Chai said.

He added that it was still not clear as to how many branches have held elections because they were not required to report to the headquarters.

However, from his understanding, the number was small.

According to a MCA Youth headquarters staff, the last date for the branches to submit their election results is Aug 16.

MCA branch chief denies 'fake member' allegation

The Batu Caves MCA branch chief has denied that Malaysian actress Beauty Teoh was made an MCA member without her knowledge, Sin Chew Daily reported.

Branch chief Liu Yong Lu told the daily that Teoh was a course mate of his daughter in Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC).

When the branch was newly formed in 2000, he asked his daughter to help recruit members. Five of her course mates agreed to join, one of whom was Teoh.

Liu showed her registration form to prove that Teoh joined MCA voluntarily, adding that she also presented a copy of her identity card for the purpose.

Liu added that all this while the branch paid the RM2 annual fee on her behalf in order to maintain the number of valid members in the branch.

"We must clarify this allegation, otherwise it will have an effect on others. It is unfair to MCA if one forgets that he or she has joined MCA and then claim of being a phantom member," he was quoted as saying.

He added that his daughter had contacted Teoh, asking her to clarify the matter within 24 hours but the latter had yet to take any action.

The paper had earlier carried an exclusive report in which Teoh claimed that she was made  an MCA member, possibly during her time in TARC, without even submitting her details.


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