Former MCA president Ong Tee Keat snapped at his successor Dr Chua Soi Lek (CSL) today and denied playing a role in the decision for the party to maintain a presence in cabinet despite being virtually wiped in the March 8, 2008, general election.
Tee Keat (right) said Chua's suggestion otherwise was one that should be “disdained” in view of its “factual flaws” and “despicable intention of spreading lies”.
“Perhaps CSL has been overly obsessed with his prejudice against my political presence till today that he has erroneously attributed the decision of MCA to stay in cabinet after the said setback to my alleged insistence, when I was then not the party president,” the Pandan parliamentarian said in a statement today.
The matter arose after Chua's call for SUPP to remain outside of government following the Sarawak-based party's dismal performance in the recent state polls. SUPP won only six of the 19 seats that it contested.
Faced with suggestions that MCA was being hypocritical given MCA's presence in the government despite being almost wiped out in the 12th general election, Chua (left) said he was not then the MCA president.
Similarly, said Chua, the appointment of Dr Mah Hang Soon as Perak exco member was also not his doing as it was decided on by his “predecessor”.
Though he did not name Tee Keat, observers have noted that Mah (right) is known to be in Tee Keat's faction in MCA.
Rebuffing such suggestions, however, Tee Keat noted that former housing and local government minister Ong Ka Ting was president of MCA until Oct 18, 2008.
Furthermore, said Tee Keat, Chua could have reversed any earlier decision pertaining to Perak MCA “if he were truly committed to what he advised SUPP, instead of resorting to finger-pointing”.
“He has no excuse to be evasive as he has been helming the Perak MCA for the past one year,” he added.
Tee Keat also said that when Najib Abdul Razak took over as prime minister in April 2009, he was consulted in his capacity as party president on the choice of MCA nominees to the cabinet, during which time the matter of opting out of the cabinet lineup had not arisen.
Tee Keat also pointed out that Chua was a member of the MCA presidential council by virtue of his position as the deputy president. The council, in turn, had unanimously mandated to Tee Keat to handle the matter with the new prime minister.
“At that material time, nobody, including Chua, had ever raised the issue of staying out of the cabinet,” said Tee Keat.
Rubbing it in further, Tee Keat suggested that Chua himself had been double-faced when he had the chance to stay out of cabinet in view of plummeting support for MCA from the Chinese community.
“But instead, he had his own son, Tee Yong (MP for Labis, left) in the cabinet line-up when Najib announced the cabinet reshuffle on June 1, 2010,” he said.
Tee Keat said further that Chua had earlier vowed he would not lobby for any government posts, but chose to renege on his words when he accepted the appointment as chairperson of the Penang Port Commission.
Later on, Chua also accepted being on the Economic Council headed by the prime minister, said Tee Keat.
“I have no intention to pick a quarrel with such a character as there are many more meaningful things to do in serving the people, especially my Pandan electorate.
“Actions speak louder than fabricated lies deliberately dispensed with for political assassination.”
Tee Keat (right) said Chua's suggestion otherwise was one that should be “disdained” in view of its “factual flaws” and “despicable intention of spreading lies”.“Perhaps CSL has been overly obsessed with his prejudice against my political presence till today that he has erroneously attributed the decision of MCA to stay in cabinet after the said setback to my alleged insistence, when I was then not the party president,” the Pandan parliamentarian said in a statement today.
The matter arose after Chua's call for SUPP to remain outside of government following the Sarawak-based party's dismal performance in the recent state polls. SUPP won only six of the 19 seats that it contested.Faced with suggestions that MCA was being hypocritical given MCA's presence in the government despite being almost wiped out in the 12th general election, Chua (left) said he was not then the MCA president.
Similarly, said Chua, the appointment of Dr Mah Hang Soon as Perak exco member was also not his doing as it was decided on by his “predecessor”.
Though he did not name Tee Keat, observers have noted that Mah (right) is known to be in Tee Keat's faction in MCA.Rebuffing such suggestions, however, Tee Keat noted that former housing and local government minister Ong Ka Ting was president of MCA until Oct 18, 2008.
Furthermore, said Tee Keat, Chua could have reversed any earlier decision pertaining to Perak MCA “if he were truly committed to what he advised SUPP, instead of resorting to finger-pointing”.
“He has no excuse to be evasive as he has been helming the Perak MCA for the past one year,” he added.
Tee Keat also said that when Najib Abdul Razak took over as prime minister in April 2009, he was consulted in his capacity as party president on the choice of MCA nominees to the cabinet, during which time the matter of opting out of the cabinet lineup had not arisen.
Tee Keat also pointed out that Chua was a member of the MCA presidential council by virtue of his position as the deputy president. The council, in turn, had unanimously mandated to Tee Keat to handle the matter with the new prime minister.
“At that material time, nobody, including Chua, had ever raised the issue of staying out of the cabinet,” said Tee Keat.
Rubbing it in further, Tee Keat suggested that Chua himself had been double-faced when he had the chance to stay out of cabinet in view of plummeting support for MCA from the Chinese community.
“But instead, he had his own son, Tee Yong (MP for Labis, left) in the cabinet line-up when Najib announced the cabinet reshuffle on June 1, 2010,” he said.Tee Keat said further that Chua had earlier vowed he would not lobby for any government posts, but chose to renege on his words when he accepted the appointment as chairperson of the Penang Port Commission.
Later on, Chua also accepted being on the Economic Council headed by the prime minister, said Tee Keat.
“I have no intention to pick a quarrel with such a character as there are many more meaningful things to do in serving the people, especially my Pandan electorate.
“Actions speak louder than fabricated lies deliberately dispensed with for political assassination.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment