Thursday, September 9, 2010

Tee Keat dismisses talk of comeback

2010/09/09

By Eileen Ng

eileen@nst.com.my




KUALA LUMPUR: Former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat yesterday denied that he is gearing up to challenge his successor, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, in next year's party elections.



"If I am going to make a comeback, why am I focusing on community work now? Shouldn't I be focusing on the delegates?" he asked.



Speculation had been rife recently that the former transport minister was looking to challenge Dr Chua for the party's top spot.



Ong lost to Dr Chua in the March party elections following a three-cornered fight, which included former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting. The polls were called following an 18-month leadership crisis in the party.



Tee Keat's supporters acknowledged that it would be an uphill task for him to unseat Dr Chua, especially since the party had not implemented direct presidential elections that would open up voting to a wider group of party members instead of the 2,400 central delegates.



During his brief tenure as president, Tee Keat had proposed direct presidential elections but could not implement it as he was voted out before the subject was presented to the delegates for deliberation.



This had given rise to talk that Tee Keat was looking to team up with Ka Ting and his brother, former secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, both of whom command sizeable support in Johor and Perak, respectively.



"He needs an A team if he harbours any hope of regaining the top post," said one of his supporters.



Tee Keat has not dismissed the possibility of making a comeback in the near future.



"I have not left politics," he said.



He lamented that since he was dropped from the cabinet in June, he had been left in the cold by the party.



"MCA has no place for me. I don't get anything from my party... I got zero funding from them to help with my constituency work.



"It's not easy but I am steadfast in my course to serve my constituents."

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