KUALA LUMPUR: MCA vice-president Datuk Ong Tee Keat, who is vying for the presidency at the MCA elections scheduled for Oct 18, has claimed that certain groups in the party had fabricated allegations against him to tarnish his reputation.
Condemning the tactics as “hitting below the belt” and describing them as totally unfounded, Ong said he would continue to fight the allegations through his blog and the media.
Ong was reacting to allegations in a pamphlet circulated to MCA delegates accusing him, among other things, of amassing wealth and owning a RM3 million house in Cheras.
“I had a good laugh when I heard this. Only someone who is out of his or her mind would make such a baseless allegation…
“How could I have amassed such wealth?
“When you are in the administration, you have to declare your assets to the government.
“Do you think it would have gone unnoticed if I had such wealth?”
Ong, who is transport minister, said those who made the claims should substantiate the allegations.
“Look at my house. Anyone can engage an independent valuer, anytime, and make a valuation.”
Ong said there were also claims that he had sent his mother to an old folks’ home when in fact his mother had passed away.
“How many mothers do I have? Which particular old folks’ home? When was she supposed to have been admitted to this old folks’ home?”
Ong also spoke about his experience since entering politics in 1989, saying he had had six unforgettable events which he likened to receiving “yellow cards” — warnings given during football matches.
“The first yellow card was when I was in Mapen (National Economic Consultative Council) and I raised the quota and meritocracy issues.
“It came to a boil when an Umno division in Ampang — I was Ampang member of parliament then — threatened to pass a no-confidence vote against me.”
Another yellow card was in 1991 when he raised the issue of high-achievers being deprived of places at local universities, he said.
“Because of that, former education minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad raised it in cabinet and I was reprimanded.
“However, I was happy that many of these complaints have been successfully addressed.”
He was also yellow-carded when he decided to go for the MCA Youth chief’s post against the advice of the party leadership and when he spoke up against the Kampung Baru Ampang development project and was branded as being “worse than the DAP”.
“The period between 2005 and 2008 was my worst when, for three consecutive years, I was branded as anti-Malay. Every letter I sent to state and local councils was not entertained.”
Ong said he decided to post his expenditure and MP allocation on his website after a Pandan division leader of a BN component party demanded that a certain amount be allocated to the division without giving any explanation why the funds were needed.
“I told them that the allocation depended on merits and needs, not based on quota.
“No political parties, including my own, should meddle with it.”
Ong said he was again yellow-carded when the cabinet reprimanded him for exposing irregularities in the allocation of funds for two Chinese schools in Johor.
“The allocation was RM30,000 but the amount spent was only RM3,000.
“I was reprimanded but I stood by my explanation.
“In a way, I feel vindicated as a site inspection proved what I had stated.”
Ong is facing former vice-president Datuk Chua Jui Meng, who is making a comeback into active politics, for the MCA presidency. — Bernama
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