MCA rep breaks ranks to take oath as Johor exco member

Pulai Sebatang state assemblyperson Tee Siew Kiong today became the first MCA elected representative to go against the party's resolution not to accept any government post.

The MCA national organising secretary was sworn in as the Johor state exco member in charge of tourism, domestic trade and consumerism this morning and is the only Chinese representative in the 10-member state cabinet.

Tee's action has been considered as an embarrassment to MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek as Tee was known as one of his proteges.

Tee was Chua's political secretary when the latter was in the federal cabinet, and had been appointed as the party's national organising secretary after Chua (right in photo) became the party president.

Last Saturday, MCA's presidential council meeting chaired by Chua reaffirmed that the party will abide by its general assembly resolution not to join the government because its general election performance had been worse than in 2008.

"The party will abide by the resolutions made in the 2011 and 2012 annual general meetings that MCA will decline all government posts if the party performed worse in the 13th general election," said Chua.

It is believed that in the case of Johor, MCA leaders may be compelled to forgo their pledge because the Johor sultan had expressed his wish to see Chinese representation in the state cabinet.

The sultan's position was conveyed to the then-Johor menteri besar apparent Mohamed Khaled Nordin on May 8, who said that the palace wants to see racial harmony in the state.

According to a Nanyang Siang Pau news alert, Tee told reporters that both Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Chua have agreed to his appointment as exco member as they cannot go against the ruler's decree.

Chua also issued a statement in the afternoon clarifying that MCA had not recommended Tee to join the state cabinet, but that it was the decree of the Johor sultan to appoint Tee as an exco member.

Mohamed Khaled - who is also the Permas state assemblyperson - was sworn in as the new Johor menteri besar today, thus succeeding Abdul Ghani Othman who had been defeated by DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang (right) in the general election.

MCA's two-seat quota in the state cabinet has been slashed to one, following its worst electoral performance in the state and nationwide.

Of the 16 state seats contested in Johor, MCA won only two seats, Pulai Sebatang and Paloh. Tee won the Malay-majority constituency with a reduced majority of 3,412 votes.

It is noted that Pemanis assemblyperson Lau Chin Hoon - the sole state representative of Gerakan in the state - was not appointed into the state cabinet.

Meanwhile in Malacca, two vacancies have been reserved in the state cabinet - apparently for Chinese representatives from MCA.

According to Berita Harian, seven state assemblypersons from Umno and one from MIC have been sworn in this morning in the historic city in front of state governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob.

Also present at the ceremony was the newly-appointed Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron.