KEE KWONG'S BOMBSHELL: Angry MCA members came to see me but I didn't promise anything

Dr Tan Kee Kwong, the PKR candidate for the Wangsa Maju parliamentary seat, dropped a bombshell during a political rally to brief constituents ahead of the May 5 general election.

The senior opposition leader, who was once a deputy minister in Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN coalition, revealed that disgruntled MCA members had approached him but he "did not promise anything".

Kee Kwong also acknowledged that the intensifying feud between BN members - Umno and MCA - over who should contest the Wangsa seat was to his advantage.

"Recently there was one headline in the Sun newspaper - who owns Wangsa Maju? Is the MCA or Umno? But the answer is obvious, it is therakyat (the people) who own Wangsa Maju, not you (MCA and Umno). So no need to fight. People say if they fight, it is better for me but I didn't arrange the fight.  It was not of my making," Kee Kwong said at the packed ceramah in Section 1 on Thursday night.

"BN has now appointed Datuk Shafie Abdullah to represent them here. Datuk Yew Teong Look is a friend of mine, he is a good leader with a good rapport with NGOs, with the people. His track record is also good but Prime Minister Najib Razak doesn't take this into account. Instead, Najib insists on putting his own crony here. So what is all this talk about political and economic transformation? You can keep talking about it for one year but what is it that you do? You go and appoint your crony here!"

"Of course, many MCA members are not happy and many have come to meet me but I have not promised them anything. I did not promise them anything, that is not my style. So to those MCA members who wish to support me, I thank you but I am not promising anything."

MCA-Umno fight over seat

Wangsa Maju, a thriving suburb of some 60,000 people, has been the object of a bitter fight between Umno and MCA for more than a year now.

However, the situation worsened after Najib confirmed that the Wangsa seat would be contested by his political secretary Shafie Abdullah rather than Yew Teong Look, the MCA Wangsa Maju division chief.

Yew, who complained he had spent enormous time working the area and spent more than RM2.5million since the 2008 general election, has threatened to withdraw his support from the BN.

Yew has minced no words expressing his disappointment in MCA president Chua Soi Lek for surrendering the seat to Umno. He had lost Wangsa by a mere 150 votes to former PKR leader Wee Choo Keong in the 2008 election.

Speculation has been rife that Yew might quit the MCA out of frustration. With nominations due to be formalized and officially submitted to the Election Commission in less 24 hours, there is still no sign that Yew and Shafie have buried the hatchet.

However, political observers have said that even should the MCA and Umno reconcile over the Wangsa seat fight, the signs of support for Kee Kwong are too evident to ignore.

Don't worry, I won't 'lompat'

Thousands flocked to his ceramah or political forum on Thursday night to watch a star-studded PKR lineup that included Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim speak. The rousing reception they gave to the PKR leaders is a sure sign that Kee Kwong is now the front-runner to win the seat although he himself has expressed grave concern about the presence of phantom voters on the electoral roll that could tilt the balance to the BN.

Nonetheless, during his speech, Kee Kwong shared many light-hearted moments with his constituents. He also promised not to "lompat" (defect) in a reference to Choo Keong, who had quit PKR to become a BN-friendly candidate in 2010 amid accusations that he had 'sold out' to lures offered by Najib.

"Wherever I go in this constituency, the morning market or night market, people say, 'Dr Tan, no problem we can vote for you. But don't lompat ah?. My late father said honesty and integrity has no price. No price. So those who want to offer me anything, no need to offer lah. Go give it to the old folks home. I have no price,"said Kee Kwong, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

"If I am crazy about money, when I was a deputy minister I would robbed the people and enriched myself. It was so easy. But I have not taken a single sen not even a single sen."

Kee Kwong is the son of the late Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon, Malaysia's Mr Opposition, who was famous for his political integrity and sincerity.

Malaysia Chronicle