MCA cabinet ministers and deputy ministers have come out in support of MCA president and Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat's handling of the Port Klang Free Zone controversy.

In a joint statement today, the party's government representatives - three ministers and seven deputies - said it was now an "appropriate time" for them to show their "unity and support" for Ong.

"We share his stand that the interests of the people must be adequately addressed, as the government and the public await for an acceptable solution to the PKFZ saga.

liow tiong lai h1n1 flu parliament pc 220609 03 "Those who create obstacles, make threats, suppress the truth and mislead the public must be condemned in the strongest terms possible," read the joint statement.

The ministers are Housing and Local Government Minister Kong Cho Ha, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai ( right ) and Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen.

The deputy ministers are Wee Ka Siong, Chew Mei Fun, Chor Chee Heung, Lee Chee Leong, Heng Seai Kie, Hou Kok Chung and Wee Jeck Seng.

The joint statement also reads that Ong was the "clear choice" to lead MCA's bid to regain credibility and support from Malaysians, especially the Chinese community.

"We assure the MCA president that we shall stand shoulder to shoulder with him as our party moves forward in its struggles," read the statement.

'Long ranger' no more?

The highly unusual joint statement, comes at a time where Ong is under severe public and opposition scrutiny over his handling of the PKFZ scandal.

Shortly after being appointed Transport Minister in October last year, Ong commissioned PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) to perform an audit on PKFZ.

Several delays later, the PwC report was finally released to the public in late May. Among others, the report revealed that the project was a potential RM12.5 billion disaster and implicated several prominent Barisan Nasional politicians.

mca pc ppsmi 140709 ong tee keat In an recent interview with Sin Chew Daily , Ong ( left ) claimed that he was now "under siege" from people with vested interest in PKFZ, including some from within BN, and claims to have received death threats from underworld figures.

Following the release of the report, only a handful of MCA leaders have come out in defense of Ong, leading to speculation that he had become a 'lone ranger' in the controversy.

But over the past two weeks, a slew of written statements from MCA leaders have emerged and the latest MCA ministerial joint statement may suggest Ong is suffering from poor public image.

Rumours are also circulating that Ong's detractors within MCA may even call for an extraordinary general meeting to oust him as party president soon.

But Chua says ‘so what'?

However, just hours after the issuance of the joint statement, Ong's deputy Dr Chua Soi Lek issued a statement of his own, belittling the show of support for Ong.

NONE Chua said such acts were of little significance to the general public, as all the 10 individuals were appointees of the prime minister based on Ong's recommendations.

"As the president of MCA, he can get all the ministers and deputy ministers to sign the statement," said Chua.

Instead, Chua said the public was more concerned on whether there was any abuse of public funds in the PKFZ project and whether the project was viable.

He said MCA should rightfully come up with solutions for the PKFZ controversy, without jeopardising the image of the Barisan Nasional federal government.

"The MCA president always emphasised that we must work hard to meet public expectations. This is more important than just fulfilling the needs of MCA members," he added.