From Malaysian Insider, 19.08.09
By Lee Wei Lian
PETALING JAYA, Aug 19 — MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek has asked the party president and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat not to involve the party in a possible legal battle with Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, saying that it is "his personal problem".
Tiong is CEO of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the main developer of the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and whose company is under investigation by Ong's ministry. Tiong had dropped a bombshell last week when he claimed that he had made a RM10 million donation to Ong for MCA party purposes.
Ong has since denied the allegation and threatened legal action though Tiong has refused to retract his statement. The MCA president also met with division leaders over the weekend and emerged with their backing.
The MCA central committee, which met in Johor Baru yesterday, made a decision to support Ong in his bid to clear his name and to lodge a police report and seek legal redress.
Chua told reporters at a press conference at a hotel in Petaling Jaya last night that while he had supported Ong in making a police report and in taking legal action, he had objected to the party itself getting involved.
"I expressed support to sue Tiong but I do not believe the party should be involved in it. It is a personal problem. Only the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission know the truth," he said before chairing a meeting with other Barisan Nasional component parties. "I support the president in seeking legal redress but not dragging the party into it."
Chua also expressed his doubts about Ong's "conspiracy theory" about a RM100 million campaign to destroy MCA.
The Chinese media had reported that Ong told division leaders that there was a concerted effort to amass RM100 million to move a vote of no-confidence against him at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) and that should the effort fail, there will be an attempt to form a new Chinese-based political party to replace MCA.
"The conspiracy theory has no basis," Chua scoffed. "If you say there is a RM100 million campaign to topple him, the message is that MCA members only look for money — no money no talk. At the end of the day, people support politicians based on their performance."
He also said that he thinks the party is at its lowest point in its history and if the "internal conflicts" continue, the party may not survive past the next general election.
"The voters will replace MCA because we are not performing and involved with internal conflicts. We are elected to serve the people and not politics," he said.
When asked about the reaction from central committee members when he objected to the party being involved in Ong's bid to clear his name, he said that "very few people" were with him but that it was "expected".
He also cited a case to reporters of "a senior MCA leader" who was arrested in Singapore, charged and jailed, likely referring to former MCA president Tan Koon Swan who was found guilty of criminal breach of trust.
"We should let the law take its course," he said.
Ong had built up an image of being clean and transparent but his reputation is now in tatters following Tiong's allegations.
His position as party president is considered shaky with Chua's supporters expected to push ahead with plans to call for an EGM to remove him.
Ong himself was reported as saying that he was not the president that was favoured by Umno, the dominant party in the Barisan Nasional coalition, and is in danger of losing his transport minister job ever since pushing for the PKFZ to be investigated.
When asked by reporters to comment on statements issued by certain MCA leaders asking members not to sign any petitions calling for an EGM, Chua replied that it was an "insult" to the members' political maturity.
5 comments:
Great job DR. keep the good work! we all agree that OTK MUST sue Tiong to safeguard the chinese so that there will not be anymore people who can just throw wild accusations at the president.He MUST sue Tiong to clear his name and all the chinese.
MCA belongs to all chinese not his personal toy.He is guilty until proven innocent.
Dear Dr. Chua,
You did the right thing!
The fact that OTK is hiding the truth and didnt confess to the Leaders of his dealings with Tiong really confounds me. He has been given twice the opportunity to admit his wrong doings during the two meetings both in KL and Johore.
The fact that he has not relinguished his position as the MCA President to prove his innocence clearly reveals to us of his bad intentions (to drag everybody into his sinking boat)and therefore deserves to be kept at arms length.
I hope the Rakyat can see the situations more clearly now...that there are two issues to this matter. One being the PKFZ and the other is his personal grievances with Tiong. The MACC and the Police has already taken care of the former and he has as yet to take care of the latter himself.
Dr. Chua, you did the right thing as to ask him not to use the MCA to fight his battle.
You must be strong because the cronies has already been very well fed by OTK to support him.
talkosong and GTLim really need some training on logical training.
Your MCA party has been accused of accepting money from Tiong King Sing and you scold your party President who has to report to party members his side of the story.
Somemore can say one is guilty until proven innocent - likewise are you saying Anwar is guilty of sodomy before the trial is over?
No wonder MCA is going down the drain.
Dr. Chua, please do service to your MCA and help your members to think and look at facts. Don't twist facts because of your personal grievances against another who has different moral code than you.
totally agree with Cassadra. What kind of leadership is CSL showing - always singing the reverse phrase against OTK. What OTK did on the PKFZ is the right thing. CSL never openly support, only say it ambiguously - "if the President is doing the right thing, he shall gain his support." Comeon - Chua, be honest and come clean. How many MCA presidents, menteris have the guts to expose this wrongdoings which Rakyat has been left in the dark for the last 50 years. Guilty till proven innocent ---- sad that you have such supporters.
To our Chinese comrades, Read this news from Malaysian Insider:
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing’s alleged RM10 million donation to Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat was handed over in three cash installments of RM5 million, RM1 million and RM4 million, the China Press reported today.
The Chinese-language daily said the details were obtained from a copy of the police report made by Tiong against Ong last week.
According to the report, Ong had asked Tiong for a RM5 million donation in 2008.
Tiong claimed that the RM5 million in cash was put inside two briefcases and accompanied by two of his staff, he had delivered money to Ong’s friend at the Petaling Jaya Hilton Hotel.
A few weeks later, Tiong was approached again by Ong for another RM1 million.
This time the money was delivered to a representative of Ong at the car park opposite Armada Hotel in Petaling Jaya.
Towards the end of 2008, Tiong agreed once again to donate RM4 million to Ong.
But this time, Ong came in his own car to collect the money at a government guesthouse.
The money, Tiong said in the police report, was put inside the boot of Ong’s car, the newspaper reported.
Speaking separately today, Tiong repeated his challenge for Ong to disclose how much he and his wife had in their bank accounts.
He also said that Ong’s decision to sack Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek as deputy president was clearly meant to distract attention from the RM10 million issue.
Ong filed a RM500 million lawsuit against Tiong this week after denying the allegations.
But Tiong appears ready to go to court and has said he has witnesses to prove he gave RM10 million to Ong. MCA officials say they have no record of the money.
Tiong also denied today that he was backing Dr Chua to topple Ong.
“If I am so good with Chua then I should have originally donated the RM10 million to Chua and not to Ong.”
Ong has found it hard to brush aside his once close ties with Tiong.
Although he has denied taking RM10 million, Ong has admitted to taking free rides on private jets owned by Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the company owned by Tiong.
KDSB was the company being probed in relation to the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) when Ong took rides on the company aircraft.
But in an attempt to burnish his image as a leader that did not tolerate wrongdoings, his ministry blamed Tiong’s KDSB for the PKFZ mess.
Arent you comrades going to do something about the above FACTS?
REMOVE OTK IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!
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