(Media Conference Statement (3) at DAP Ipoh Timur Ops Centre on Thursday 29th February 2008 at 1 pm)

I take great offence at the highly defamatory allegation by MCA President, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting hurled at DAP leaders that they are greedy and selfish in contesting in two seats, parliamentary and state assembly, as wanting to collect two allowances of Member of Parliament and State Assemblyman.

DAP leaders are very different from MCA leaders including Ka Ting. DAP leaders are in politics not for self gain, wealth, position or government position but for our ideals and principles, and love for our country.

DAP MPs and State Assembly members do not get the constituency development allocations which have now mushroomed to RM5 million per parliamentary constituency for Barisan Nasional MPs –the most blatant example of discriminatory and unaccountable disbursement of public funds, money politics and the root cause of the rampant corruption in the country as it is open knowledge that there are BN MPs and State Assembly members who demand a “cut” for themselves before allocations are made to the public from the constituency development funds.

DAP leaders who are fielded in both parliamentary and state assembly constituencies will have to bear a heavy political responsibility – not to get more allowances but to play a greater role in the larger national objective to strive for a more just and democratic Malaysia.

DAP Secretary-General, Lim Guan Eng, for instance, who is contesting both parliamentary and state assembly seats in Penang, is not in these two contests for the allowances or he would not have stood up on his convictions ten years ago to defend the dignity of an under-aged Malay girl resulting in his conviction under unfair and draconian laws of Sedition Act and Printing Presses and Publications Act, leading to his disqualification as elected MP for Kota Melaka, being jailed for 18 months in Kajang Prison, forfeit of his parliamentary pensions and being disqualified from standing for elective office for five years after his release from prison.- missing two general elections.

Guan Eng had also been detained under the Internal Security Act in the 1987 Operation Lalang dragnet – with both of us among the first to be detained but the last two of the Operation Lalang detainees to be released in April 1989.

It is highly presumptuous and intolerable for a politician, who could climb so high up the political ladder as to become a Cabinet Minister without having to make any personal sacrifices whatever in his political life, to cast aspersions against political leaders who have paid a very high price in terms of personal liberty for their political convictions.

DAP Perak Chairman, Ngeh Koo Ham, who is contesting both Bruas parliamentary and Sitiawan state assembly seat, is not in politics for the money!

I can vouch that Ngeh has given to the cause for a Malaysian Malaysia far more than he had received as Perak State Assemblyman for the past four years.

Can Ka Ting say that he had personally given more in terms of money in politics than he had received from his parliamentary and Ministerial allowances as in the case of Ngeh?

I deplore Ka Ting for such mischievous, malicious and irresponsible politicking. He should have the decency and humility to openly apologise for his misconduct.

While making baseless accusations against DAP leaders, Ka Ting should heed the rumble of discontent in MCA at his building up of a Ong Brothers political empire in the MCA over the bodies of MCA leaders, including Ministers and parliamentarians.

Two MCA Ministers had recently fallen by the wayside – Chan Kong Choy and Chua Soi Lek. Who is really responsible for their downfall?

Chan must be held responsible for the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, the biggest financial scandal in the Abdullah premiership which is even bigger than Mahathir’s first mega financial scandal, the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance scandal 25 years ago!

Chan cannot escape accountability for the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal, but it is unfair if he is alone left to “eat dead cat” as the entire Cabinet, including Ka Ting, cannot shirk responsibility as well.

Is it true that Ka Ting is the reason why Chan dropped as a MCA candidate in the 2008 general election?

Who was responsible for the political “killing” of MCA National Vice Chairman and Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek over the sex videotape scandal?

This is not an outside job but a MCA high-level operation. Was Ka Ting responsible for Chua’s removal from the MCA front-line of contenders for the top political post in MCA?

Be that as it may, Ka Ting should not try to distract attention from his MCA troubles by hurling defamatory allegations against DAP leaders.