MCA to go ahead with annual assembly though polls postponed - Liow

MCA is to hold its annual general assembly in November despite having decided to postpone party polls to until after the 14th general election due in 2018.

Party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said on Wednesday, by right the MCA elections should be held this year.

He said the MCA presidential council, at its 29th meeting at Wisma MCA, decided on the dates of the annual general meetings at the various levels.

The branch meetings would be held in July, divisional meetings in September and state meetings in October, ahead of the annual general assembly, he said after Wednesday's meeting.

“Although we have postponed the party polls, we will go ahead with the annual general meetings at the branch, divisional, state and central levels. This was decided at today's meeting," he said.

Asked whether there was any discussion at today's meeting on the proposed tabling of a bill in Parliament to implement 'hudud' law in Kelantan, Liow said: “We object to the tabling of the bill in Parliament.”

He said this had been MCA’s stand since PAS tabled the bill in the Kelantan State Assembly last year.

“We would like to reiterate our position; we unanimously object to the tabling of the bill in Parliament,” he said.

In March, it was reported that PAS was still waiting for consent from the Conference of Rulers before tabling a Private Member's Bill in Parliament to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 to pave the way for the implementation of hudud law in Kelantan.

Meanwhile, on the Uber and Grabcar private hire car services, Liow, who is the transport minister, said the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) had to engage all relevant parties to decide on the matter.

He said the government was hoping to legalise the services as it was now a trend where people went around technology.

“This is under the jurisdiction of SPAD," he said, adding that SPAD was supposed to coordinate with Uber, GrabCar and taxis to come up with a common platform with the same conditions.