MCA Youth chief Ong Tee Keat today said his statement in reaction to the warning issued against him by the party presidential council was misinterpreted.

Ong claimed that when he said, "I stand by my position" last Friday, he was defending his stand in regards to the written submission to the MCA disciplinary board last March and a letter to the party president and deputy president.

According to a Bernama report, he said his statement had been misconstrued as claiming that the party was still tainted with triad members and loan sharks.

Last Thursday, the MCA presidential council issued a stern warning to the Youth chief for tarnishing the image of the party.

Two points

Meanwhile, Ong said his written submission to the MCA disciplinary board and leadership was based on two points.

The first called for transparency of the party's management of the Chang Ming Thien Foundation Fund to prevent the issue from being exploited by the opposition.

He stressed that the call was made without the intention of questioning anybody's integrity or that of the party.

The second point was on the triad-links issue, which the Youth chief said he made when commenting on the fracas at the MCA Youth annual general meeting on Aug 3, 2001 and not on the party as a whole.

"This clarification is needed to clear any misinterpretation which could affect the on-going work to strengthen the party," he added.

Ong, who is also deputy youth and sports minister, was among the most vocal critics of past president Dr Ling Liong Sik's ( photo ) leadership.

The party had split into two camps after its controversial purchase of two Chinese dailies in 2001 - Team A led by Ling and Team B by then deputy president Lim Ah Lek, whom the Youth chief was aligned to.

The two top leaders resigned in May and were replaced by Team A leader Ong Ka Ting and Team B's Chan Kong Choy respectively.

Just prior to that, a poison pen letter claiming that the new president had links to triad leaders was also widely circulated. Ka Ting denied the allegation and lodged a police report.