MCA should apologise to Chinese community, says Ong

Submitted by webmaster on Thu, 2010-09-30 18:18
By OTK’s Info Unit

PANDAN PERDANA (Sept 30, 2010): Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat says the MCA leadership should magnanimously apologise to the Chinese community over its controversial decision to acquire the vernacular Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press in 2001.

"It is alright to admit a leadership’s wrong judgment. The people, particularly the Chinese, also want MCA to be transparent on the venture.

"They want to know the monetary and paper losses, and also the extent of damage to Nanyang Siang Pau."

"Nanyang Siang Pau was the No.1 Chinese daily in terms of circulation but today it is only fourth, with its circulation dipping more than 60%."

"Where then is the justification to claim that the acquisition was right at that time," Ong asked.

The former MCA president was responding to reporters’ questions in a media conference at the 1Pandan 1Malaysia Pesta Tanglung (Lantern Festival) here last night. Ong, who was then the party Youth chief when the MCA leadership engineered the controversial acquisition, was among the"Team B” leaders who objected the venture on grounds of press freedom.

"Ask for forgiveness and perhaps MCA can win back some political goodwill from the Chinese community,” he said, adding that there was no way the party could shirk from responsibility.

The New Straits Times today quoted MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek as saying there was no need to apologise as the move in 2001 to acquire a RM230 million controlling stake in Nanyang Press Holdings was correct at the time.

"The question of apology does not arise. At that time, I supported the purchase because it was correct."

"An apology will not change the fact that we acquired the newspapers,” he said after chairing a presidential council meeting."

MCA lost the support of the Chinese community and sparked an intense party crisis after it purchased the newspapers. Six years later, the party sold its stake to the Sin Chew group in a RM64.7 million deal and in 2008, Media Chinese International Ltd was formed following a merger between Ming Pao Enterprise Corp Ltd, Sin Chew Media Corp Bhd and Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd.

Chua said since the purchase created a negative perception towards the party, the leadership decided to dispose it remaining shares after he took over the presidency on March 28.

The party’s investment arm, Huaren Holdings Sdn Bhd, announced that it had disposed of 60,394,191 shares, comprising a 3.6% stake in Media Chinese International last month for RM47.88 million.

From  http://ongteekeat.net