Ex-MCA bigwig Ong 'cautiously optimistic' about Pandan election fight

Former MCA heavyweight Ong Tee Keat says he is "cautiously optimistic" about the upcoming contest for his one-time seat of Pandan, which he will be vying for this time on a Warisan ticket after years away from the political limelight. 

Ong, who held the Pandan seat for two terms from 2004 to 2013 after four terms as the MP for Ampang Jaya, said his bid for a political comeback was prompted by the aspirations and ideals of Warisan which he described as "a precious scarcity" amid the often race-based polemics besetting the country. 

Speaking to MalaysiaNow after a hiatus of close to 10 years, he said his desire to contest in Pandan was largely driven by the unhappiness expressed to him by some of the locals. 

"Their feedback was that the constituency had been left unattended for the past 10 years," he said. 

Ong joined MCA in 1981 and was elected as the party president in 2008. He was also appointed as the transport minister that year. 

He was known for his role in exposing the leakage of renovation funds meant for a Chinese school in 2006, and for punishing his then deputy in MCA, Dr Chua Soi Lek, for what became known as the DVD sex scandal. 

He also initiated investigations into the Port Klang Free Zone. 

Known as a "lone ranger", Ong served as a deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker from 1990 to 1999. 

At the 2013 general election, he was replaced as a candidate at the last minute, with MCA choosing Lim Chin Yee to go against Rafizi Ramli of PKR. 

He left MCA in 2017 after having been with the party for more than 30 years. 

Eyeing a comeback in the Pandan seat, he will face off against Rafizi who is likewise seeking a return to the political arena. 

He said the people of Pandan wanted a committed MP who would serve and listen to them. 

"The people are concerned about bread-and-butter issues, particularly amid the pandemic-induced economic fallout," he said. 

On locking horns with Rafizi for the seat, he said it made no difference to him who his opponent would be. 

"I have never been cowed by any big egos in my political career," he said. 

"Neither will I be deterred by rhetoric. People only believe in the delivery of deliverables that can benefit the nation."