Mohamed Iqbal Ali has withdrawn his resignation as president and wants the MCA elections on April 27 to be put on hold.

He said there was currently an environment of fear, bullying and intimidation in the MCA.

Iqbal claimed it was perpetrated by those who had orchestrated the attempt to usurp the legitimate process of a proper election.

“I don’t want this to be known as the stolen election,” he said.

Iqbal said he was not seeking re-election even though he had been nominated for the post of president.

“I have also withdrawn my resignation and will continue in my role as president for the remainder of the current term,” he added.

About two weeks ago, Iqbal, his deputy Dr Arun Kumar Beshamber Nath and seven other executive committee members resigned during an emergency general meeting (EGM) in protest against a claimed coup.

When nominations closed on Sunday, it was a five-way fight for the presidency for the 2025-2027 term. Arun and treasurer, Amarjeet Singh, are in the fray as well.

Thirty-seven members are competing for the remaining 11 seats in the executive committee.

For many, 42 candidates vying for the 12 seats was not an indication of tensions in the MCA.

Iqbal said he remained committed to serving in the capacity or until such time the authorities determined otherwise.

He has sought the intervention of the sports commissioner of Malaysia and the anti-corruption unit of the international cricket council (ICC).

“Under this scenario, I recommend the upcoming biennial general meeting to be put on hold to allow the proper investigations to take place,” he said.

Iqbal said this was the only way for MCA to maintain its integrity and avoid a lengthy battle in the courts.

“A prolonged crisis will derail the short-term and long-term aspirations for Malaysian cricket.”

According to Iqbal recent legal advice confirmed that the requisition for EGM to remove executive council members was most likely ultra vires and conducted in bad faith.

“It was done under the cloud of a misinformation campaign and promises of future benefits.

“We have evidence that confirms the original requisition for the EGM was not signed by at least one individual and without the knowledge of some senior members of state associations.

“Additionally, several individuals who have been nominated for leadership positions had direct knowledge of this.

“One even made representation on behalf of those ‘signatories’. This is a serious issue and can only be settled by the authorities,” he said.

He said this information was with his legal advisors and has been submitted to the sports commissioner and the ICC.

The information will be submitted to the police and the MACC in the coming days, he added.

“The investigations are at various stages and as they involve various authorities, it will require the full involvement of those who have knowledge of these matters.”

Iqbal said the massive outpouring of support that he had received over the past few days has been humbling.

“The vast majority of people were not aware of the shadow movements of a small group of people.”