FCAS members giving Goh (17th right) their full support to contest for the Huazong presidency.
KOTA KINABALU: Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) president Tan Sri Dr. T.C. Goh will be vying for the presidency of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) on September 8 this year.
Goh is confident about his chances of winning and believes that the delegates would cast their votes wisely in selecting the next leader of Huazong.
Huazong president Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah is stepping down from the position this year after 10 years of helming the association. Incumbent Huazong deputy president cum Federation of Chinese Associations Kedah president Datuk Cheng Lai Hock had announced his intention to contest for the national president post two months ago.
Meanwhile, FCAS has unanimously resolved to support Goh in vying for Huazong presidency in its annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday.
Goh, the current vice president of Huazong, was elected to the post for two consecutive terms. It was by far the highest post in Huazong held by a delegate from FCAS.
Based on the present situation, Goh will be in direct contest with Cheng for the president’s post in the Huazong’s AGM cum election on September 8.
It is also FCAS’ first attempt to contest for the Huazong presidency since its inception 25 years ago.
Goh said he had served one year as acting president for FCAS and is now in his second term as the president of the federation.
According to the FCAS constitution, he said a person is not allowed to hold the president’s post for more than two consecutive terms, unless the individual is the president or deputy president of Huazong.
“This means that if I do not contest for the Huazong presidency, I will have to relinquish my position as the president of FCAS in 2021,” he said.
Nonetheless, Goh believed that he is still young and could still contribute to the Chinese community.
He said it is high time to go beyond Sabah and contest for the national presidency.
He is confident that the delegates nationwide would cast their votes wisely to elect the next president of Huazong.
There are 130 votes in total, 10 from each of the 13 states in Malaysia. Besides the 10 votes from Sabah, Goh will have to secure at least half of the 120 votes from other states in order to win the election.