MCA ready for EXCO posts in Melaka

The MCA is ready to take up the posts of state executive councillor in Melaka to provide the best service to the people, especially the Chinese, in the state, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Monday. He said the decision would also ensure that the MCA continued to play an important role in the Melaka Barisan Nasional government. "We want to do more for the people. When we asked for the position, this is not a position for personal glory. "This is a position to deliver services and to ensure development for the people in this country, in this state," he told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron at Seri Negeri, here. On Oct 20 last year, the MCA extraordinary annual general meeting passed a resolution allowing party members to accept state government appointments. The decision nullified the resolution adopted at general meetings in 2011 and 2012 prohibiting MCA members from holding any post in the government after the party's heavy defeat in the 13th general election last May. Liow, however, said it would be up to the Melaka chief minister to decide on the appointment of the MCA representative to the state executive council. "We have to wait for the chief minister to decide. We have conveyed MCA's views to him," he said. Melaka currently has eight state executive councillors, seven of whom are from UMNO and one from the MIC. The Melaka state executive council line-up usually has two MCA state assemblymen. After the last general election, Melaka has three state assemblymen from the MCA, namely Datuk Lai Meng Chong (Machap), Datuk Ng Choon Koon (Bemban) and Lim Ban Hong (Klebang).