KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- The MCA appreciates the concern shown by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in wanting to meet the leaders of the factions involved in the party's ongoing crisis, said Wanita MCA secretary-general Senator Heng Seai Kie.

Heng, who is also Deputy Information Communication and Culture Minister, said ideally it would be best for Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties to sort out any internal problems themselves, but in MCA's current situation, Najib's willingness to step in and try resolve its crisis was the right thing to do in the interest of preserving harmony in the BN.

She told this to reporters after opening the 24th Asian International Arts Exhibition (AIAE) here today.

She had been asked to comment on Najib statements yesterday that he planned to meet the warring leaders in MCA before Nov 28 in trying to help resolve the leadership crisis in the party.

Najib had expressed concern that if the problems in MCA were not resolved quickly, the party might lose support among the Chinese community and Malaysians at large.

The principal players in the crisis are party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, his one time nemesis and deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and vice president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Ong's and Chua's camps have since reached a truce but Liow's faction is pushing for an extraordinary general meeting of the party to be held on Nov 28 so that the party's central delegates can decide whether fresh polls should be called to resolve the leadership crisis.

Heng, who is also the head of MCA's Information and Communication Bureau, also denied allegations by MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (aligned to Liow) that she had pressured the MCA president to quickly fill up vacant positions in MCA's presidential council (PC) by sending him an SMS for the purpose.

She said the SMS she sent to Ong was to convey her inputs that the president could consider one or more deputy ministers to fill the vacancies, as a result of Ong dropping nine members of the PC on Wednesday.

"Actually, under Article 46 of MCA's constitution, we can see that Wee's allegations have no basis becuase it clearly states the president has the powers to appoint one or more deputy ministers to be in the PC," she said, adding that it was also done (sending of the SMS) because she and several other Wanita MCA leaders wanted to discuss with Ong the position of Wanita MCA president Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun, who was dropped from the PC.