KILLING HIS OWN CREDIBILITY: Tee Keat says may contest as direct BN candidate

KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (pic) has not ruled out the idea of contesting as a direct Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate but said tonight he would only discuss the option “when the time comes”.

The former MCA president also insisted that there was no need to consider that option at the moment as news that he would be dropped from the Pandan race in Election 2013 was merely speculation.

“It is only speculation. We will see when the time comes,” he told reporters at his constituency’s Chap Goh Meh event here.

The event was also attended by BN chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who Ong said will ultimately have the last say on whether or not the Pandan MP will continue to defend his seat for the sixth term.

The former minister, however, said no discussion on his candidacy took place with Najib who was only at the event briefly.

“No, there was no discussion on that,” he said.

The BN chairman hinted yesterday that the ruling coalition had hinted at the possibility of allowing its members to contest as BN candidates that could be “winnable” but unpopular within their respective parties.

“Wait and see. When the time comes (it’ll be revealed). I don’t want to jump the gun,” The Star quoted him as saying.

BN had once fielded an independent candidate under its banner during the 1995 federal polls. Hulu Rajang MP then, Billy Abit Joo, made history as BN’s first candidate to contest as the coalition’s member.

Billy Abit did not belong to any of the component parties as there was no provision that required a BN member to do so. He later joined the Sarawak People’s Party.

The idea prompted suggestions that popular Mas Gading MP Datuk Tiki Lafe could also contest as a direct candidate after his faction, which includes four other parliamentarians and one state assemblyman, left the Sarawak Progressive Democratic party.

Should this happen, the same could be used for Ong in Pandan, an urban constituency in Selangor with a large Chinese population.

There was also talks that PKR leadership had once considered Ong as PKR’s candidate in Pandan for Election 2013 but shelved the suggestion in favour of its strategic director Rafizi Ramli. The MCA leader denied the claim.

It is understood that Ong is favoured by senior leaders in Umno to defend his Pandan parliamentary seat because of his personal popularity among constituents there

Ong’s rivalry with the current MCA president, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, sparked rumours that he would be dropped in favour of Gary Lim, the party’s legal bureau head, for the Pandan contest.

At a Pandan MCA Chinese New Year gathering on Wednesday night, Dr Chua had told reporters that Ong was not included in the party’s list of possible candidates for the 13th general election, which must be held by June.

Asked if the rivalry could paralyse the party’s machinery and polls preparation in Pandan, Ong dismissed the idea, saying a win depended on many other factors and not solely on individuals.

The Pandan MP, however, refused to rate BN’s chances of retaining the seat, merely saying the party machinery there had worked hard since Election 2008.

“Despite the various obstacles and challenges, their spirit is never broken,” he said.

-themalaysianinsider.com