Q&A: 'I know I'm doing the right thing'

In the first of a three-part interview, MCA president Ong Ka Ting takes on allegations ranging from having engineered the dramatic downfall of Dr Chua Soi Lek to the presence of a spy group in the party.

Malaysiakini: What prompted the party to go on a national roadshow?

Ong: The national roadshow was one decision made when the central committee members had a brainstorming session. Members or grassroots leaders may not understand everything (we want to do) by reading media reports. It’s personal briefings or a roadshow that will make issues clearer and enable the grassroots to understand better.

What are the issues expected to be discussed at the roadshow?

What MCA should do after the general election. It’s a very challenging scenario for us after the elections. We need to discuss this in detail and brief our members on what they should do from now on and where the party is heading. We must go down to tell them and obtain their feedback too.

The roadshow is not held to counter the ‘Save MCA campaign’?

(Looks amused) It’s for MCA to go on. I don’t think we really need to do anything to ‘save’ MCA - that phrase is not relevant. What we need to do is how to rebuild, re-motivate, re-strategise, re-invent and re-engineer the party. ‘Save MCA’ is actually being used with an intention which I would not want to debate on.

Do you personally know the response to the campaign?

I don’t know, it’s not started by the party leadership.

The main agenda of the campaign is to demand your resignation.

You have to compare. The majority of the grassroots are sending me messages like ‘President, you have to be strong, you have to lead us through this very difficult period, you have to really get the whole team in place’. A lot of these words are coming back (to me). We shouldn’t just let this small number of people doing something to distract our attention.

As leaders, we have to be very responsible. For (the sake of) accountability and in view of MCA’s dismal (election) results, I have already taken the responsibility by not joining the cabinet. With that, I can focus my time on rebuilding the party. I shouldn’t be distracted by all this which will not do MCA any good.

Is anything in particular distracting your mission to rebuild the party?

I wouldn’t use the word ‘distract’ but I am feeling the pressure on how to really lead MCA members to get out of this defeat after the elections and demoralised sentiments (in the party). That can’t be done just by mere rhetoric, with empty promises, I want to be very serious about it.

The whole of last month we spent time on rethinking, gathering views inside and outside the party, getting ideas and looking into our own weaknesses. We have to be very honest about (our weaknesses) and very frank on what need to be improved. We already have a picture (on what has to be done), that’s why we will go on the roadshow very soon.

Former vice-president Dr Chua Soi Lek has criticised your move to take over as MCA Johor state chief, saying this would split the party. Yet, you have emphasised the importance to rebuild the party.

This is his one-sided view. Johor is a very important stronghold for us, I contested in Johor for five parliamentary terms. The MCA grassroots don’t want to see the party’s influence further weakened or the loss of its stronghold there. To be frank, many Johor division leaders have requested me to lead Johor. There are many different views from the political perspective but from my perspective, Johor can’t be ignored because it is a very important state for MCA.

I must emphasise that many of our grassroots have given me a clear message that they want me to lead Johor and to further strengthen the party. We lost one parliament and three state states (in Johor), this is unprecedented, we must stop this (from getting worse) immediately.

The acting state chief Tan Kok Hong had appealed to me to take over the post before the elections. He had said he took up the post only temporarily and he conveyed this message personally in front of the Johor committee members. Some versions (on this decision being spread) outside have distorted his (Tan’s) views, (and) I need to clarify (this).

What about other states where MCA had even worse losses than Johor?

Other states still have leaders who are capable of leading. They didn’t seek my help to lead their states, their fighting spirit is still strong and they are trying to re-motivate the state themselves. I can’t simply tell them to give me the post, there is no necessity because they still can help out, it is good for us. In the case of Johor, the acting chief told me repeatedly that he would only lead (the Johor MCA) until after the general election.

....Meaning there is no basis to say you were just laying the groundwork for the coming party election?

There is not only no basis to this but it is also too speculative. The grassroots in Johor will understand why I am doing this - it’s for the good of the party. Many members came and see me to tell me my decision was right. I won’t say this if they didn’t come and see me.

It’s also not true to say you are trying to consolidate your power to be the unchallengeable president since Johor MCA has the highest number of delegates with voting rights in the party election?

This is totally not true. I respect his (Chua’s) views but I must say categorically that he got me wrong. I am not the type of person (who thinks) more about the party election than rebuilding the party. I am very honest about it. If I want to be the unchallengeable president, I should have stuck firm to my ministerial portfolio. Why should I let that go?

A lot of people say that once you are not a minister, you don’t have the influence and power in the party and your position will be weakened. This shows I am shouldering the responsibility and secondly, I really want to spend time rebuilding the party.

I never said I want to be the president forever, everybody knows that. Even if I contest (for the presidency) again, it is only three more years (due to a constitutional limit of office term), so what is there to make me unchallengeable? Logic will tell you to compare my action not to re-nominate myself to be a minister.

I have introduced steps over the past four years for a healthy political culture (in MCA), I was de-centralising my power in fact. If anyone uses their analytical mind, (they would know) I am not the type of person (who tries) to make myself more powerful, less democratic. I have been doing things the other way round.

The next question you may ask is why am I still holding on to (the state chief post for) Negeri Sembilan? I want to let go actually, but when I consulted the Negeri Sembilan leaders, they told me there are only a few more months to the party elections (in October) and there has been some stability in the past few years, so why should I suddenly create some instability - why not I continue to hold on for a while?

All this speculation has arisen partly due to the fact that you have not made known your intention for the coming party poll - whether you are going to defend your post. Why haven’t you done so?

If I start to talk about party election, then the whole focus will shift to the party election. I really don’t want to see the party tensed up over the party election. I really want to see us, at least for the next few months, focus on rebuilding the party. It’s not too far away. Nearer (the party election), you will get an answer.

Why are you holding back the announcement since it has always been easier for an incumbent to say he is defending his post, instead of someone having to say he is challenging against an incumbent?

(Grins) Yes, but I don’t want to do it here out of the blue. This is the first time I am being interviewed by Malaysiakini and if I use this forum to announce ‘oh, I want to contest’, people may get me wrong. Don’t worry, when the time comes, it will be announced naturally.

The presidency could shape up to be a multi-cornered fight. Vice-president Donald Lim has said he knows at least six people who are keen to contest.

That is their democratic right.

How would you assess your chances given the post-general election scenario?

It is certainly not the right timing to assess the chances now, let’s wait for a few more months.

Dr Chua Soi Lek has hinted that he may run for the party presidency. Do you see him as a formidable challenger?

We shall leave (discussion of) the party election to a later stage.

There are allegations that you have formed a three-man ‘spy’ unit to snoop on your political enemies.

I am surprised, totally surprised. This is utter rubbish. This is something unthinkable for a person like me to go and do all these things, I myself can’t believe it. I don’t know what are they talking about, what 16th floor? (Laughs)

But a former divisional leader has claimed he was approached to join this ‘spy’ unit.

I want to know exactly who these three men are and what they talk about. This is a big surprise to me, it is unthinkable. I can’t accept (any such) accusation.

To be fair to whoever made the accusation, today’s presidential council decided to appoint (party veteran) Tan Sri Sak Cheng Lum, a very fair man, to quickly investigate the matter and he will be assisted by two senior lawyers, Roger Tan and Teh Hock Kee, who are not sitting in the MCA central committee. They will submit a report to the presidential council, then we will know the truth.

Is there a deadline for this?

They should get it done fast, as soon as possible, (as) there will be more problems if it’s prolonged. Donald (Lim, photo, who reportedly said he was a target of the ‘spies’) was there (at the meeting) and he agreed to the probe, but clarified that he has never mentioned my name.

Just look at the logic, come on. I talk about healthy political culture, I hope to have as many strong leaders as possible to help me in the team. This (allegation of my being behind the group) is totally against my culture, it’s crazy. It doesn’t tally with my character at all and what I have been doing all this while in the party.

The ‘spy’ unit was allegedly linked to the downfall of Chua over his sex tape scandal.

All the more, if it’s anything linked to the Chua Soi Lek issue, it shouldn’t have anything at all to do with me. It’s unthinkable for me to have anything to do with that. Of course in politics, people may try to tarnish my image or to cast some doubts on me, but I can stand up to the truth.

Although he has not named names as to who is the real culprit, the whisper campaign on the ground is that you had orchestrated the scandal.

You used the words ‘whisper campaign’, meaning there is a political agenda.

Are you denying it was you?

Yes, of course - strongly, categorically and definitely it has got nothing to do with me. (Laughs)

All these critics should stop doing all these things, it’s a character assassination and they’re very unfair accusations. I have never said anything, I have been trying not to get involved in this controversy by focusing my time on more serious matters, but if this keeps going on, I need to put a very clear voice to stop all these things.

He (Chua, photo ) was my (MCA) team member all the time, a very strong central team member as the Johor chief and vice-president. There is no reason at all for me to do anything to harm him. The stronger he is, the better fo me because Johor is in very good hands. All this time, I like him as an efficient leader, that is from the bottom of my heart. Why should I do anything to discredit him or anyone under such circumstances especially on the eve of the general election? The biggest damage is to the party and the person who get the most harm is me, being the president.

You have never pressured him to resign?

I myself never pressured him, very sure. I myself never did so. He is a person with strong opinions and he knows what to do.

Is Chua welcome to challenge you in the coming party election?

I don’t go and invite him to challenge me.

There are still questions hanging over your deputy Chan Kong Choy’s last-minute decision not to contest in the general election and it was said to have elicited some negative response at the grassroots level.

Kong Choy (photo) indeed had told me a few months before the general election that, due to health reasons, he didn’t intend to contest again. Perhaps it was the late timing of the announcement that prompted many questions and speculation. I can’t answer on his behalf but he did tell me repeatedly over a few months that he didn’t want to contest, it was not a last minute decision.

Has that got anything to do with the Port Klang Free Zone controversy?

I am in the cabinet, I never see or hear him facing any pressure.

Was there any pressure within the party to stop him from contesting?

No. I never heard this.

Were you hoping that he would stay on at the time?

Of course, as president, he is my deputy and we have been working very well. Of course, I wouldn’t want to have a heavyweight leader not contesting at the last minute.

How’s life as a former minister?

People think that being a minister is the highest position (for a politician) and (that it would be difficult to adjust without it), but it has been more than a month (now) and I am coping very well. I spend a lot of time in the party and talk to the grassroots, this is the part that I should focus on and thus all the more, I know I am doing the right thing.

It really depends on what you believe in. If you like the special treatment given to a minister or (to hear) people calling you ‘minister’, of course you can’t let go and (would) find it hard to adjust. When I thought it through (the decision to give up the ministership,) I knew what I was doing.

With you having a bit more free time now, would you follow other politicians to start blogging?

(Grins) Good idea, let me settle more of these internal matters first. You may think I am very free but I’m not. I came in here in the morning and I am still here, even when the sky gets dark. It’s a question of working in different offices. Those days, the sky got dark (while I was) in the housing and local government ministry office, now it is at Wisma MCA. The amount of time I spent is no less than when I was a minister.

What does your family feel?

I have a very understanding family. My wife has been very supportive and understanding. I must say I am very lucky.