Tee Keat vows to defend Pandan seat if dropped

Malaysiakini
Kuek Ser Kuang Keng
Feb 14, 11 6:09pm

Former MCA president Ong Tee Keat's supporters will mobilise support for him to defend the Pandan parliamentary seat, after the local Umno division implied they want him dropped as candidate for the next general election.

Qng tee keat pandan mp supporters dinner Over 1,200 supporters, including leaders of NGOs and community groups, have declared their support at a Chinese New Year dinner tonight in Pandan Indah, Selangor.

The 113-table buffet dinner is organised by the NGOs, which have invited Ong (right) as their guest of honour.

The momentum will grow tomorrow night when supporters are expected to unfurl banners of support at another 100-table Chinese New Year dinner hosted by Ong's service centre at SJK(C) On Pong 2.

ong tee keat pandan mp supporters dinner 3A signature campaign will also be launched during the dinner.

The supporters want BN to retain Ong as Pandan candidate in the next general election, for which the date has yet to be set.

Pandan Umno division deputy chief Izeham A Hamid had last Saturday proposed a solution regarding the Pandan candidacy when meeting Prime Minister and BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak.

Izeham claimed that Najib (left) had agreed to the proposal, but the premier had refused to comment when asked about this later.

It is no secret that Ong does not see eye to eye with Umno division leaders in his constituency.

Keeping all options open

Yesterday Ong had said that Izeham has a right to express his views, but that he too has a right to contest the seat as a citizen.

ong tee keat pandan mp supporters dinner 5In the dinner tonight, Ong told the multi-racial crowd that he would defend his Pandan parliamentary seat if BN drops him from the line-up.

"I will contest as long as I'm still a Malaysian citizen."

However, when asked later by reporters whether he would contest as an independent, Ong dismissed the question. He said it was "far-fetched" to answer a hypothetical question at this point.

Other local NGO leaders who took the podium also expressed their support to Ong, saying that no matter what decision made by Umno or MCA regarding the candidacy of Pandan, they would only support Ong.

ong tee keat pandan mp supporters dinner 2Ong was first elected as Ampang Jaya MP in a by-election in 1989. He held the seat until 2004 when it was delineated into Ampang and Pandan, and Ong continued his term in Pandan.

In the 'political tsunami' that defeated many BN incumbents in 2008, Ong retained Pandan with 2,692 majority and become the only MCA parliamentarian in Selangor.

He later failed to defend his MCA presidency in last year party polls and eventually lost his ministerial post