KOTA KINABALU: The troubled Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is dramatically heading towards unity, thus maintaining possibly the status quo of its leadership for now, thanks to the initiatives of the Registrar of Societies (ROS).
In what is seen as a good indication to resolve the internal problems of the Sabah-based party amicably, LDP president Datuk VK Liew confirmed that he attended a special meeting at the ROS headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday, chaired by ROS director-general Mohammad Razin Abdullah and his deputy, Alias Mamat.
“I confirm that I attended the meeting, and I would like to express my deepest appreciation to ROS and everyone concerned for their patience, understanding and cooperation in the matter,” he said when contacted by Bernama here yesterday.
Liew said he was accompanied by Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, Karamunting State Assemblyman Charlie Pang Su Pin and Loretto Padua while his rival faction was represented by Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Datuk Chin Su Pin, Chin Su Yin and Peter Chong Su Leong.
“It was a long meeting and at the end of the day, it was agreed by all parties that, amongst other things, the party’s 24th congress fixed on Oct 19 and 20 this year, is postponed to another date to be decided by the party election committee,” he said.
As such, Liew advised party members that there would be no party congress or conference this weekend (Oct 19), either in Kota Kinabalu or Sandakan.
Last Sunday (Oct 6), despite Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent call for unity, the LDP’S rebel faction led by its senior leaders, Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin and Datuk Teo Chee Kang, went ahead with a separate Special Meeting of the Party Conference and voted overwhelmingly in favour of a vote of no-confidence againts its president. Delegates at the special meeting of the party, organised by this faction, also unanimously endorsed other resolutions, including the one passed by the supreme council on Sept 10, this year, to remove Liew from his position as party president.
In rebuttal, Liew was quoted as asserting that the purported Special Meeting of the Party Conference by the rebel faction of the party was illegal, stressing that it had not been sanctioned by the Supreme Council and the party headquarters.
Expressing concern over the leadership crisis in the party, Muhyiddin, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman, was quoted as saying here recently that he had directed BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to discuss with the said parties whether there was a possibility of reconciliation.
The LDP leadership crisis came to a boil recently after Teo (LDP secretary) announced he would run for president.
Liew then sacked Teo for allegedly violating the party’s constitution and failing to carry out instructions of the supreme council members.
Liew was quoted as asserting that the supreme council meeting on June 9 had decided that the posts of president and deputy president were not to be contested to avoid a split among members, and the minutes of the meeting were recorded by Teo, who is also minister with special functions in the Chief Minister’s Department.
Liew’s faction was supposed to hold the party’s annual general meeting on Saturday (Oct 19) at the Yu Yuan multi-purpose hall in Sandakan. — Bernama