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Upko says cannot keep
quiet regarding Ong as MCA crisis affecting BN
29 August
2009,
( Source: Daily Express)
KOTA
KINABALU : Upko became
the first Barisan Nasional party to suggest that
MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat
temporarily relinquish his duties both as
Transport Minister and party president.
Upko
Treasurer-General, Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh, said
he should do so until he is cleared by the court
over allegations that he received RM10 million
from a contractor in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ)
project.
He said Ong
should let another senior MCA leader take over
even the MCA President's post, until the dust
settles.
"When a man
claims innocence, he should temporarily
relinquish his official duty until his name is
cleared. That would be a gentleman's move and in
line with ethics," he said.
Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib and several Umno leaders had
said the MCA leadership tussle was an internal
matter for MCA to resolve and would not
interfere. Commenting on the crisis affecting
the MCA leadership on Friday, Mojigoh said as an
MP and a member of a component party, the issue
had affected the entire Barisan Nasional (BN)
Government.
Hence, he felt
it was not wrong for other BN component members
to also present their views. "MCA is also a
component party of BN É the interest of the BN
government is of prime importance, meaning it is
also the interest of the rakyat," he said.
Mojigoh said
he was not interested in the internal affairs of
MCA because what concerned the people was the
image of the Government. Nonetheless, he said
the MCA's internal problems had been a hot topic
among the people in the coffee shops.
According to
him, the opposition had been using the issue to
smear the good image of the BN Government such
as the PKFZ controversy which had been dragged
into Parliament.
It also
resulted in many police reports being lodged,
smear campaign in the recent Permatang Pasir
by-election. Despite clarifications from the BN
it could not convince the electorates, he said.
"The
credibility of leaders from the component
parties has been affected and it also somehow
affected the BN candidate in the by-election,"
he said. Mojigoh also questioned the rationale
behind Ong's move to seek opinions on whether
MCA's role as a BN component is still relevant
in his blog site.
"I mean what
was in his (Ong) mind when he decided to open to
opinion givers. Was that move of help to the BN?,"
he asked.
"Why did Datuk
Chua Jui Ming quit MCA and BN?," he asked.
"To me, no
human being is an angel and sacking his deputy (Datuk
Chua Soi Lek) who was elected to the post by
their delegates does not make Ong an angel."
Mojigoh said as a fellow BN component member, he
hoped his colleagues in MCA would keep their
cool and let the MCA top leadership and relevant
authorities deal with the crisis of PKFZ and
their party President.
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