Liow to step down as MCA president

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai will step down following the component party's poor showing in the 14th General Election (GE14).
"I won't seek re-election as president when the party election takes place later this year.
"I take full responsibility for MCA's defeat and as a responsible leader I have to ensure the stability and unity," he told a press conference today.
He said that he will ensure a smooth sailing party election to pave the way for the next leader.
He added that MCA's defeat in the elections boiled down to two factors, one was Pakatan Harapan's (PH) promise to abolish GST, and the other was PAS' strategy to split votes that should have gone to MCA.
"There were many three cornered fights. PAS used Act 355 of the Shariah courts to manipulate and pull away Malay voters from us because our stand on that issue is strong," he said.
"The people voted for PH because of their promise to abolish GST. Rising cost of living has been a big issue, and people voted to get GST out," he added.
He said that MCA will have to work on strengthening its grassroots support.
The former minister of transport also congratulated newly elected Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the government, but warned that he and his party members will provide stiff opposition.
When asked if Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had kept in touch with him, he said yes and that the chairman was saddened over what had happened.
Liow said MCA would conduct a brainstorming and post-mortem to see how and why they lost.
When asked if they would consider outside consultants to point out their weaknesses, Liow stated that the party knew what was best.
"We don't need consultants, we know best our direction and what the people want," he said.
Liow lost his seat as Bentong MP to PKR's Wong Tack.
In one of their weakest showings at the polls, MCA retained the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat held by Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong as well as two state seats.