Ong Ka Ting urged to make a comeback (UPDATED)

KUALA LUMPUR, March 13 (Bernama) -- Former MCA deputy president Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek today urged the party's former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting to consider appeals made by MCA members and Chinese community leaders to make a comeback and again lead the embattled party.

Lim said he had been deluged with calls from MCA grassroot members and Chinese community leaders asking him to convey their wishes to Ong.

"I understand this might be something difficult his family but I hope Ong will see it as a mission to save MCA.

"I wish to appeal to MCA members and leaders at all levels to make it known to Ong that his leadership is needed again and to back him fully," he said in a statement here today.

Lim added that he was doing this because he was deeply concerned about the state of affairs in MCA which had caused the party's image to drop to an all time low.

Ong stepped down as MCA president in October 2008 and was succeeded by Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat but the party plunged into a leadership crisis hardly a year later, culminating in fresh polls having to be called this March 28.

In ALOR SETAR, former MCA president Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said he had yet to decide whether to contest any post at the party's polls on March 28.

"I will make the decision at the appropriate time...over 2,000 delegates are eligible to contest any of the top posts," he told reporters after handing over firefighting equipmentto a volunteer firefighting squad at the Kedah Fire and Rescue headquarters, here today.

The leadership crisis in the party came to head early this month when two-thirds of the members of its all-powerful Central Committee quit to pave the way for the fresh poll.

Nomination has been set for March 21.