He has also stepped down as the member of parliament for Labis. Up until his resignation today, he was also the party’s Johor state chief as well as the Batu Pahat division head.

Chua, who turned 61 today, made the stunning announcement at a packed press conference at his ministry office in Putrajaya, just a day after he vowed he would not resign in the wake of a sex scandal which featured him in a video recording.

Earlier today, some 50 party members had gathered at his ministry from various parts of Johor in order to dissuade him from resigning, but Chua was adamant about his decision.

“I have tended my resignation letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and MCA president Ong Ka Ting,” said Chua, who had been appointed health minister soon after the 2004 general election.

“I am relinquishing my position as health minister, MCA vice-president, Labis MP, Johor MCA liaison chief and Batu Pahat MCA division chief.”

Chua, who is married with three children, was caught in the scandal after the mysterious distribution of a video recording of his liaison with a woman he has described as a "personal friend".

Yesterday he had owned up to being the man in the video but stressed that he would continue performing his duties as a party leader and government minister. 

Flanked by supporters, a calm Chua told the hastily-convened press conference, which began at 3pm and ended 40 minutes later, that he arrived at the decision because “the rakyat wants me to resign”.

“I hope my resignation, made on moral grounds, will serve to be a lesson to not just MCA members, but to all the Barisan Nasional component party members as well – that those who commit offences and possess certain weaknesses must be responsible for their actions,” he said.

‘Not a hypocrite’

He expressed disappointment that the public has adopted a holier-than-thou attitude on the issue and noted sarcastically that "maknanya semuanya golongan ulamak" (it must mean they are all very pious).

Chua further said he felt proud that he had made the confession and that he could stand tall because he was not being hypocritical.

“I thought that by my admission, the people would forgive my weaknesses, but I thought wrong. This shows that honesty does not always pay, (but) it is up to the public to judge me,” he said.

Chua said his family was fully supportive of his decision, but conceded that the scandal was taking a toll on them.

"I live in a very close-knit family… I thank God that my family had shown support in this time of difficulty. I am a very family-oriented person and I am grateful that my family has shown me nothing but support.”

Chua’s wife Wong Sek Hin, had yesterday released a press statement professing her support for her husband.

Saying that his resignation would stop people from “following me everywhere (and) placing hidden cameras to capture my every movement”, he described this as a “very sick and unhealthy political culture”.

“I will not be the first nor the last to fall from this sickening method,” he said.

Line drawn

 He said his resignation was also prompted by what was best for “healthy political practice and the Islam Hadhari concept”.

Caustic to the last, he drew a line between his public and private life, refusing to comment on the incident portrayed in the tape.

"If you want to discuss my private life, please do. Maybe you would like to watch the videotape with me," he told the female reporter who had pressed him on the video clip.

Asked if he thought a political rival had recorded the footage, Chua said he did not want to speculate on the matter.

“The prime minister has personally told me that he would investigate who is behind the video, so let’s leave the matter at that.”

Chua had previously hinted at the possibility of a political motive on the part of the person who recorded the footage, said to have been recorded with cameras placed at four spots in a hotel room. Two videos were produced from the footage.

Despite the sombre situation, he was able to joke when asked what he intends to do now that his political career has ended.

“Maybe I will become a reporter. Maybe my vast experience will be of great value if I become a reporter,” he quipped to laughter.

Chua expressed gratitude to the Abdullah, the MCA leadership and his supporters before making his exit.

“I am now a regular person but I will always support MCA and the leadership of the BN government. (I) thank the party (for the trust it has) vested in me,” he said before waving to reporters and leaving the room.

Sex scandals among politicians are not uncommon in Malaysia, with several members of Umno – the dominant party in the ruling BN coalition – having been pressured to resign over the years.

Chua met Abdullah on Monday to discuss the situation and it was decided then that he had to go public with his identity.

The resignation will hit Abdullah's government hard. He is expected to call a general election this year although his administration's mandate runs until May 2009.