Dr Chua: I think I know the culprit

exclusive Former health minister and MCA vice-president Dr Chua Soi Lek knows the person responsible for secretly taping his sexual liaison that caused his spectacular political downfall.

He however said he would not reveal the name of the culprit without having substantial evidence in hand.

“I have no proof who is behind this tape... I will not know who did it (for sure) but I have reasons to believe who is behind it.

“Of course, I have no substantial evidence, so it's not fair that I should come out make a guess even on who is it,” a composed Chua told Malaysiakini during an hour-long exclusive interview held at a hotel in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday.

Previously Chua had said he believed it were his “ political enemies ” who were behind the tape controversy which erupted in early January. Then he had said that he did not know the identity of the culprit.

The 61-year-old politician resigned abruptly from all government and party posts after a tape showing him of having sex with a ‘personal friend’ was secretly released and circulated in several parts of his home state of Johor.

Prior to that, he was the No 3 in the MCA’s leadership hierarchy and was seen as a potential future party chief as he wielded significant influence among party’s members in several states.

Political conspiracy theories said the sex tape was a successful attempt to kill off the meteoric rise of Chua - who has hinted at challenging MCA chief Ong Ka Ting in party’s poll in October.

Son’s candidacy defended

Speculations were also rife over the circumstances of Chua’s resignation as he had said a day before the resignation that he would not quit and would let Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to decide his fate. Many believed he was forced to quit.

However in the interview, Chua denied he was misled or instructed by anyone, including the party president, to own up and tender the apology in the hope that he could keep his job.

“I came out voluntarily because I have done wrong, I should admit and apologise,” he stressed.

The medical doctor-turned-politician said his ties with wife, Wong Sek Hin, was not affected by the episode and the family remained close-knit three months after the controversy. The couple live with their three children in Sierramas near Sungai Buloh, Selangor.

“Very good,” Chua said when asked on his relationship with his wife.

In the one-hour interview, he also defended his son, Tee Yong’s candidacy as the Labis MP - a seat which the senior Chua held for one term since 2004.

Tee Yong won the parliamentary seat with a majority of 4,094 votes on March 8 but his candidacy was controversial as he was a novice, standing on his father’s fame.

Chua has criticised that the party president’s strategy to put new faces elsewhere as a major reason that led to the party’s worst ever electoral performance.

Asked on his different stand relating to Tee Yong, Chua retorted: “Who is behind my son?”, inferring that it was his good standing that carried his son’s victory.

‘MCA not a political dinosaur yet’

Meanwhile, on the election results, the seasoned politician told the MCA leadership that they have to bear certain amount of the responsibility and should not just point fingers at Umno.

“We can’t says it’s Umno failure, it is also part of our failure that we were unable to articulate that frustration, the anxiety and idealism of the Chinese.

“They want to see a MCA which is more assertive, not just vocal. We must also be seen as not just saying, but doing the right thing, the correct thing at the right time,” he said.

MCA won only 15 of 40 parliamentary seats and 31 of 90 state seats contested. The party had 31 parliamentary seats and 76 state seats after the 2004 general election.

But Chua argued the election results did not show the ethic-based parties like MCA has lost its appeal to the masses, as it was an “one-off” frustration showed by the voters on issues like inflation and crime.

“We should not be too fast to say ethnic-based political parties like Umno, MCA and MIC will be political dinosaurs two elections down the line,” he stressed.

Watch 6-min video of interview

Q&A: ‘Very good’ relationship with my wife’

Part one

MCA: Ong-Chua showdown on the cards?

Q&A: Ka Ting wants to be ‘unchallengeable president’