Tycoon denies MCA presidency bid rumour

Property tycoon Lee Kim Yew has poured cold water over burning speculations that he would run for the MCA presidency in the party elections slated Dec 21.

Lee said said that he would only take part in the next MCA polls, in three years, if changes are made to the party’s election system.

“To contest for party president at this moment of time is something I am not going to do,” he said, in an interview at his office,” the founder of Country Heights Holdings Berhad said in an interview with online portal FreeMalaysiaToday.

“I only said I am going to contest for a party official post and I never said that I wanted to contest in this election,” he explained.

Lee was rumoured to on the verge of announcing his plans for MCA by placing an advertisement in the Chinese newspapers tomorrow.

However, Lee clarified his advertisement would “highlight the dire need for MCA to implement a direct election system” and “only leaders who won seats in the general election be given an opportunity to fight for top party positions.”

Lee said that he would only stay and work for MCA and contest in future party polls if the direct election issue was addressed.

He said the current model of entrusting the 2,300 central delegates to elect party office-bearers breeds money politics and blocks young talents from rising and moving up in the party.

The MCA presidential election already has three contenders, namely MCA deputy president Liow Tiong Lai, vice president Gan Ping Sieu and former president Ong Tee Keat.