Tee Keat not in our list, repeats MCA chief

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said today he was not informed by Barisan Nasional (BN) of any direct candidacy of his rival, current Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

"I've not heard anything from BN. As far as I am concerned, he is not in the MCA list," Chua said when cornered by reporters at a book launch in Sunway Pyramid.

Yesterday, an online news portal reported that BN will field Ong as a direct candidate.

The report, which cited unnamed sources, added that "elections war room" meeting chaired by Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Monday decided that Ong was "winnable".

The report also claimed that party component leaders was notified of the decision, which stressed about putting aside personal differences.

Last week, Chua announced that Ong was not listed as a possible candidate under MCA to defend the parliamentary seat.

The MCA president also said that Ong did not have the support from all the component parties in his constituency, which the latter had held for five terms.

Instead, Chua has selected 39-year-old lawyer Gary Lim as the candidate for the constituency. Chua added that Lim does not have any 'baggage' or accumulated political enemies like the other seasoned politicians.

Today, Chua declined to say if he supported the idea of such a direct candidacy through BN.

"That's a different issue. It's not about whether I support it or not. If it affects my party then I have to discuss further within the party.