KUALA LUMPUR: It is no secret that Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) deputy president Chua Soi Lek and group president Ong Tee Keat have their share of differences. That is why political observers and party insiders say he has been given what some see as an impossible task.
Dr Chua, 64, was appointed the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) chief coordinator in the four Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states and politically deadlocked Perak. That would make him the fall guy for any failure to bring Chinese voters back to the BN fold.
‘Many members wonder if this is a trap for him. But it will definitely be an uphill task for Dr Chua because he has to work closely with the grassroots now,’ a source in MCA told The Straits Times. ‘But the problem is most people do not want to be seen as supporting him because they know he is not close to Ong.’
Dr Chua, a former health minister, resigned from all his posts after sex videos of him engaged in sex acts were circulated on the Internet two years ago. Despite the scandal, he won the MCA deputy president post in the party elections last year. However, he was not given a government position, something that was commonly doled out by the BN for a man in Dr Chua’s position.
Yesterday, he told reporters that he was given the coordinator’s post after three meetings with Prime Minister Najib Razak. He denied that the appointment was made simply to keep him from defecting to PR, as he has been rumoured to be considering lately. ‘I am a loyal party man and have been serving for 25 years,’ Dr Chua said. ‘Leaving is not an easy thing to do,’ he said.
Elizabeth Looi
Malaysia Correspondent
The Straits Times
Singapore
20/05/09
Dr Chua, 64, was appointed the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) chief coordinator in the four Pakatan Rakyat (PR) states and politically deadlocked Perak. That would make him the fall guy for any failure to bring Chinese voters back to the BN fold.
‘Many members wonder if this is a trap for him. But it will definitely be an uphill task for Dr Chua because he has to work closely with the grassroots now,’ a source in MCA told The Straits Times. ‘But the problem is most people do not want to be seen as supporting him because they know he is not close to Ong.’
Dr Chua, a former health minister, resigned from all his posts after sex videos of him engaged in sex acts were circulated on the Internet two years ago. Despite the scandal, he won the MCA deputy president post in the party elections last year. However, he was not given a government position, something that was commonly doled out by the BN for a man in Dr Chua’s position.
Yesterday, he told reporters that he was given the coordinator’s post after three meetings with Prime Minister Najib Razak. He denied that the appointment was made simply to keep him from defecting to PR, as he has been rumoured to be considering lately. ‘I am a loyal party man and have been serving for 25 years,’ Dr Chua said. ‘Leaving is not an easy thing to do,’ he said.
Elizabeth Looi
Malaysia Correspondent
The Straits Times
Singapore
20/05/09
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