theSun | TUESDAY AUGUST 18 2009
news without borders
Conspiracy to destroy
MCA: Tee Keat
MCA president Datuk Seri Ong
Tee Keat disclosed that some
people are planning to set up a
party to replace or even destroy
MCA by whatever means neces-
sary, the Chinese press reported
yesterday.
Ong did not hold any press
conference on Sunday after
briefing about 800 grassroots
leaders behind closed doors on
the alleged RM10 million dona-
tion by tycoon politician Datuk
Seri Tiong King Sing and the Port
Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) fiasco,
but some central delegates who
attended the briefing told the
Is BB division chief planning to jump ship?
IS Bukit Bintang MCA division
chief Datuk Lee Chong Meng
hinting that he may cross over to
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)?
According to a report in
Sin Chew Daily yesterday, Lee
had, while addressing the 94th
press of Ong’s “shocking disclo-
sure.”
Ong, however, did not men-
tion names.
“Ong Tee Keat only said these
people hoped to achieve their
aim, but were afraid that they
would be blocked by MCA,” a
central delegate, who was not
named, was quoted by Nanyang
Siang Pau as saying.
According to the delegate,
Ong said at the briefing that
right after he was elected party
chief, he had heard of talk that
people from the politico-busi-
ness arena were coming up with
anniversary celebration of the
Selangor and KL Foundry & En-
gineering Industries Association
on Saturday, dropped several
hints that he could jump ship.
Apart from mentioning that
he and PKR adviser Datuk Seri
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
RM100 million to move a vote of
no-confidence against him at
an emergency general meeting
(EGM).
Meanwhile, Sin Chew Daily’s
report said Ong, who is transport
minister, had braced himself for
the possibility of being transferred
to another ministry or losing his
government job altogether, ever
since he laid his hand on the
PKFZ case.
Ong said he had been told that
he was not the MCA president
favoured by Umno.
He added that according
to information he gathered,
Anwar Ibrahim are from the
same district, he said Pakatan
Rakyat will eventually rule at the
federal level.
He said he was viewed as the
“opposition” in MCA and that if
the party no longer needs him,
should a campaign to topple
him fail, forces from within the
party (those who want to hold
the EGM) and outside (business
people) will try to form a new
Chinese-based political party
with the aim of replacing MCA
in the government.
He told the delegates the new
party may be set up by a Barisan
Nasional (BN) component party
from East Malaysia to make their
entry to BN legitimate.
“The president said, ‘these
(people who want to set up the
new party) are the same people
who have been telling Umno
that MCA are unable to get the
support of the Chinese, as can be
seen from the results of the recent
by-elections. They said they can
help BN regain the trust of the
Chinese’,” said the delegates.
Ong said three forces – from
business, political and secret
society – tried to block the probe
into the PKFZ incident, but did
not answer when delegates asked
him to identify the political force
involved.
he would look elsewhere.
He stressed that many coun-
tries are practising the two-party
system where people who are
unhappy with the performance
of one have the option to choose
the other.
9
briefs
Israeli army head targeted in
credit card scam
JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s armed forces
has been named as the victim of a soldier who
stole his credit card details and passed them to
dealers in stolen weapons, Israeli media said on
Sunday.
The military police say the soldier used his
mobile phone to take pictures of a credit card
belonging to Lt-Gen Gabi Ashkenazi and then gave
them to the dealers, who used them to make
purchases.
The soldier is also suspected of stealing a gun
from Ashkenazi’s office at the Ministry of Defence.
Channel 2 television said the gun was a present
from a US general.
Ashkenazi’s identity was made public on
Sunday after a military court partially lifted a gag
order on the case, which was initially reported as
involving a “senior officer”. – Reuters
Man leaves name and contact
details before robbery
WELLINGTON: A man vying for the title of New
Zealand’s most incompetent criminal left his
name and contact details with a shop before
robbing it and fleeing.
The man – a regular customer of the music
shop in Christchurch – grabbed handfuls of
banknotes from the till with four surveillance
cameras trained on him, The Press newspaper
reported on Monday.
Manager Garry Knight said two other
people in the store witnessed the theft on
Friday. – AFP