MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai feels that holding fresh elections for all the top posts is the best way to solve the party's lingering internal crisis.

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.

Simon Lim, a top aide to MCA president and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, has resigned after the MCA Central Committee (CC) meeting on Wednesday.

Finally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak can no longer tolerate the endless MCA crisis and started to step in. It may bring both positive and negative effects to MCA. It can help to resolve the crisis as soon as possible but the bad thing is, it may once again reduce the dignity of MCA, which is self-inflected by MCA leaders.

Wanita MCA secretary-general Senator Heng Seai Kie and six Wanita central committee members met party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat this evening to discuss the position of Wanita chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun in the presidential council (PC).

The move by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, to meet the warring factions in efforts to resolve the worsening MCA crisis, was lauded by other component parties of Barisan Nasional (BN).

MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is prepared to meet the prime minister to end the impasse in the party and will stress on the importance of going back to the grassroots to choose the party leadership.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has defended his decision to reshuffle the presidential council, saying he needed a team that was 100 per cent behind the party's "greater unity plan" (GUP) to restore the party in time for the general election.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today he will meet warring factions in MCA to find a solution to the deepening crisis in the party.

MCA central committee member Ti Lian Ker's accusation that the Chinese media "had fanned up speculations" to remove the party president ("Ti blames it on biased reporting by Chinese media," Nov 18) unfairly emphasises the role of the media as a shaper, rather than a mirror, of public opinion.