KLANG, MALAYSIA - MCA central committee member Datin Paduka Dr Tan Yee Kew, who is believed to have been offered a post by Pakatan Rakyat, has resigned from the party.

The former Klang MP said she faxed her resignation letter to the MCA headquarters Thursday morning. 'This is a painful decision because I have so much sentiment attachment to MCA after my 20 years with it,' she said, adding that the announcement came after three-months of soul searching and attempts to find new meaning to her political career.

Dr Tan said she had received several offers from political parties and PKR was the party she would likely to join but she would only make announcement when she was ready to move to another party.

She however declined to comment on rumours that she had been offered the Klang Municipal Council president's job by the Pakatan Rakyat state government.

Asked whether her diminishing political career in the MCA and the party election were the reasons for her decision, she said the party election was just part of the reason as such an important decision could not come from just one incident.

As a politician with conscience, she said, she too shared the people's frustration over the widening gap between the rich and the poor in the country, racial discrimination in public policies, rising corruption and abuse of power.

'Despite the growing discontent among of the people, Barisan Nasional has shown neither the determination nor the commitment to address these problems,' she claimed.

Dr Tan said it was time for a change in the political system with a two-party system that would provide the necessary check and balance to safeguard democracy, moderation and peace in the country.

'We can right now see the emergence of the two-party system so the question is whether we should throw in our support so that the system can grow, I think this is a major factor,' she said.