Thesun 2009-03-02 Page03 Mca Chief What Egm

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| MONDAY MARCH 2 2009

news without borders ZULKEFLI ERSAL/THESUN

MCA’s ‘Gestapo’ vs ...

MCA chief: What EGM?

news analysis by Ng Kee Seng [email protected]

by Giam Say Khoon and Loo Sim Ee

Chua had never sat down and discussed important [email protected] issues. “I am tired of anKUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee swering questions Keat has denied the possibil- which are based ity of having an extraordinary on rumours that general meeting (EGM), said to will split the party members be aimed at moving and the a motion of no-confiWhat public. dence against him. “What “Did I call for an we are we are EGM or did anyone fighting now fighting now is not call for an EGM? Not is not for for our personal that I know of. agenda but for the “I checked with our personal party,” he said. many of my central agenda but for On the incident committee members the party.” involving a group of and everyone was – Ong Tee Keat Umno Youth memequally surprised bers who threatened over this (matter),” he told a press conference after Opposition MPs in parliament the party’s 60th anniversary last week, Ong said: “The party does not think what happened celebration yesterday. Ong, however, said he can- in the parliament is in line with not stop people from spreading Malaysian interests if we were to allow such misdeeds to haprumours of the EGM. Rumour has it that deputy pen in the august House.” Chua, meanwhile, said he president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek or his supporters planned to had issued a statement on Saturday declaring that he call for an EGM to topple Ong. On his relationship with has no problem working with Chua, Ong denied that he and any party leader including the

president. However, at a press conference later, Chua said cooperation among the top leadership required sincerity and real action, not mere lip service. “There should be more interaction between the party president and various levels of leadership,” he added. Chua also hoped the media would stop speculating on his relationship with Ong as such speculation would cause their supporters to “do something or create more problems”. “One thing worth looking into is why there are voices from the grassroots calling for an EGM after the party elections last year.”

Chua said calling for an EGM is not a simple matter as it would split the party. “An EGM is complicated and it is not just about signing a petition, it must be something that members really want,” he said. He said the top leadership had yet to talk about the EGM rumour. Asked if the call for EGM was meant to pressure the party’s leadership so that Chua can be reappointed as a cabinet minister, he said: “It is wrong to call for an EGM just to appoint someone to be a minister. The EGM should only be called for the benefit of the party.” Chua resigned as health minister last year after a sex scandal.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (third right) cutting the 60th anniversary cake with present and past party leaders. On his right is former president Tan Sri Lee San Choon and on his left is Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

Bid to ship100kg of ketamine to Malaysia foiled CHENNAI: Indian sleuths have uncovered a clandestine operation to ship out over 100kg of ketamine to Malaysia through the South Indian port of Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. Officials from the Chennai Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday discovered the contraband worth some RM7 million in the international market hidden in several steel vessels that were exported in a container registered under a person based in Chennai.

“The ketamine were well concealed in vessels made of stainless steel. We discovered more than 600 steel vessels with false bottoms where the drug was hidden. “They were nicely packed in polythene bags and were meant for Malaysian buyers,” an investigating officer familiar with the case told Bernama yesterday. The latest arrest in Tuticorin Port, located about 550km from Chennai, revealed traffickers were now trying new ports to escape the tight vigi-

lance at Chennai Port, often used as a gateway by drug cartels, after several major trafficking rings were busted in past months. “It appears that syndicates are now diverting to Tuticorin from Chennai after several successful air and sea interventions where we seized large amounts of ketamine. “The ketamine seized is also multiplying from about 10kg to 20kg confiscated from air passengers previously to hundreds of kilogrammes now which are being shipped out via

seaports. It is so lucrative that they try all means,” said the officer. Details of the recent case remain sketchy as investigations are still in progress, but sources say the purported ketamine export to Malaysia could exceed the 100kg, as more vessels are being checked. India is a major producer of ketamine hydrochloride for the pharmaceutical industry. It is commonly used as a veterinary drug but party-goers consume it for “a quick kick”. – Bernama

Cops: Political discord hampers crime-busting duties by Charles Ramendran [email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Police are frustrated with the current political turbulence in the country which they say is affecting their role as crime-busters. Federal CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said the tense political climate is putting immense pressure on his personnel as they are often reassigned to maintain order or disperse crowds at the frequent protests and gatherings and to probe hundreds of

reports lodged by politicians. He said it was a waste of time when mass police reports are lodged over the same issue as it will all be bundled into a single probe. He said when these groups or political parties began these mass reports at a particular police station or nationwide, the time taken to record the report is wasted. “What they may not understand is when they come in the masses to make these reports, another complainant with a more serious case which may

Umno Youth told to refrain from confrontation KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth vicehead Khairy Jamaludin yesterday advised its 700,000 members against resorting to confrontation or physical violence which could lead to chaos. He said the movement had never encouraged or condoned such acts by its members. “But at the same time, I wish to stress that all this cropped up because of Karpal Singh’s abrasive remarks in the Dewan Rakyat. “I feel Karpal Singh should be careful, don’t provoke the senti-

ments of Umno Youth grassroots because I think their anger is serious and he should watch his words,” he told reporters after officiating the Seputeh Youth Open Futsal Championship here. Khairy, who is also the MP for Rembau, said this when asked to comment on the commotion that occurred at Parliament House on Thursday, involving 30 members of the Selangor Umno Youth and Karpal, who is the Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP chairman. – Bernama

need immediate attention by police is deprived of the urgency. They are kept waiting and time is a critical factor in crime-busting, every minute delayed means less time in solving a case. “All this political discord is not helping as it is taking up too much of our time and burning up our logistics unnecessarily. If at all they want to make a report, one will do,” he told theSun. When told that certain quarters feel that police appear to only pay attention to a case when mass reports are lodged, he said, “Who says so? We investigate every report we receive. There is no need to lodge dozens of them for us to do so. One is enough. “The process of a probe is not simple as many may think. It is timeconsuming and requires the gathering of facts and evidence and witness accounts. This is not something that can be done in a few hours,” he said. Mohd Bakri said the police are committed to their responsibility of ensuring the safety of the public and such matters are distracting them from doing so. “We are answerable to the people if we fail to control crime. Our crime prevention and solving structure is being weakened by such actions and we urge those who lodge these mass reports, regardless of which group or po-

litical party they are from, to put a stop to this if they are sincerely concerned about seeing crime statistics go down. Each police personnel is needed for this purpose and we cannot spare any for unimportant matters,” he said. He said some issues raised by these quarters were trivial but blown out of proportion and brought to the police for action. Last month, Umno had lodged close to 100 police reports nationwide against DAP chairman Karpal Singh for allegedly questioning the powers of the Perak Sultan while the Pakatan Rakyat coalition had followed suit by making a similar move over other political matters. On Saturday, some 300 supporters of Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar gathered outside the Brickfields police station in an attempt to lodge hundreds of reports over the alleged lack of medical attention given to Uthayakumar. However, their attempts to do so were thwarted by police who were forced to use water cannons to disperse the crowd. A total of 17 people, including Kapar MP S. Manikavasagam and Uthayakumar’s wife Indrani, were arrested and later released after having their statements recorded.

IS THE MCA leadership, elected only last October, under siege and heading for another protracted crisis? Recent reports on MCA in newspapers, internet news portals and blogs have certainly created that perception. MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s no-nonsense leadership-style is now under attack by his detractors who, among the many labels used, are likening him to the ‘Gestapo’. But who are these people who posted their views on the internet criticising Tee Keat while defending his deputy, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who unfortunately was caught by spy-camera in bed with his mistress or girlfriend. Many thought the video clip of Chua, then the health minister and MCA vice-president, committing adultery and allegedly engaged in oral sex (a criminal offence) would have ended his political career in January last year. Cleverly using “bravery and honesty” as his theme to admit that the man in the video clip was him, Chua drew sympathy by resigning from the cabinet and all his party posts. Chua’s “political move” shifted the focus to the morality issue of spying and intrusion into the privacy of individuals. However, what was “overlooked” was the criminal offence which resurfaced following a police report lodged by a 51-year-old Petaling Jaya resident who found the “pornographic DVD” in his letter box on Feb 10. Selangor CID chief SAC II Hasnan Hassan has confirmed that police are investigating the case for distribution of pornographic material and for unnatural sex under Section 292(a) and 377(a) of the Penal Code respectively. At the same time, Chua’s party supporters are now openly lamenting about how Tee Keat is “mistreating” his deputy, how the sex video is being used to punish him a second time and to derail a so-called bid to petition for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The EGM is supposedly to move a motion of no-confidence against the president. Party insiders say it is almost impossible for Chua’s supporters to muster enough party delegates to petition for the EGM. Even if there are enough delegates, will the motion succeed? Interestingly, some say the EGM is just a distraction created to divert attention from the police investigations, just like when Chua admitted that he was the man featured in the video clip. After last October’s party elections, when Tee Keat announced the party appointments, the immediate question was the reason for Chua not being appointed to head the party disciplinary board, a position traditionally held by the deputy president. Tee Keat’s reply was: “It is the president’s prerogative and I need not reveal reasons for my decisions.” The Chinese media is said to have been offended by such a response to their question. To many, the reply was brash and smacked of arrogance. Many immediately concluded that Tee Keat was sidelining Chua. Now, what if Tee Keat had replied: “I can’t have an adulterer to head MCA’s disciplinary board, can I?” Would that be arrogance, undiplomatic or hitting below the belt? So, it’s ‘Gestapo’ vs ...?