All eyes are on MCA vice-president Datuk Ong Tee Keat who is tipped to be the front-runner for the post of party president. But he is still holding the cards close to his chest on his plans in the party elections.

Front-runner for the MCA presidency Datuk Ong Tee Keat has never been under such intense media glare as he has been in recent weeks. And public scrutiny has intensified, especially after Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting announced last week that he would not defend the party president’s post in the Oct 18 party polls.

The outspoken and eloquent politician, who speaks fluently in several languages and is a columnist with Chinese daily Sin Chew, is said to have the backing of the top two party leaders – Ka Ting and his deputy Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy to move up the ladder.

Those who favour Tee Keat say that in the new political scenario where Chinese voters expect their leaders to speak up for their rights overtly, he is the right man for the job. The old ways of defending the community’s rights within the confines of the Cabinet has been challenged, says a party veteran.

Tee Keat’s detractors, on the other hand, say he has to improve on his working ties with other party leaders and not be perceived as being individualistic, earning himself the nickname “Lone Ranger”.

In an interview with Sunday Star, the 52-year-old engineer-turned-politician talks about the speculations on his next move and the challenges facing the party and community.

> Datuk, are you running for the president’s post?

There certainly has been a lot of speculation on whether I am going for the second or top post.

As I have stated earlier, as long as the incumbent concerned chooses to defend the post, seeking re-election or fresh mandate, I will not contest for the post.

In other words, I am not out to unseat either of the leaders.

But if they (top two leaders) decide not to seek re-election, I am entitled to my right, as a party member, to contest any position.

> Now that the president and deputy president have announced their decision not to seek re-election, are you ready to make your political plan known?

I only learnt about the announcement via SMS last Saturday. I was at a function in Johor when I received an SMS in the morning, saying that the president would be making an important announcement. Shortly after, another SMS came, saying that the press conference was cancelled.

Of course it was out in the Chinese paper by evening.

> When the president asked you to answer questions on his behalf during the recent party road show nationwide, many interpreted it as his endorsement of you for presidency. What is your comment?

If you look at the party hierarchy now, I am the only elected vice-president with a government (ministerial) post.

And that explains why I need to take the lead, especially on issues and matters needing representation from the party or matters of the party.

The MCA hierarchy is president and deputy president, party secretary-general and the four elected vice-presidents.

All these seven posts, except that of the secretary-general, which is appointed by the party president, are elected posts.

Note: The ranking of the four vice-presidents based on votes garnered during the 2005 party elections are: Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, Tee Keat and Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

Dr Fong is a backbencher, Dr Chua resigned as vice-president in January and did not contest in the March general election while Lim lost in the March general election.

Deputy president Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy did not contest in the March general election while president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting is a backbencher. Tee Keat is Transport Minister.

Other ministers are secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan (Housing and Local Government), MCA Youth chairman Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (Health), and Wanita MCA chairman Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (Women, Family and Community Development).

> How are you coping with being in the spotlight, probably until the party elections?

I take it easy. In the run-up to the party elections, there will definitely be a lot of speculation.

The many questions posed to me nowadays are: What post will you be contesting? Are you aware of so-and-so going to form a pact with so-and-so?

Horse-trading, negotiation, table talks and so on ... make stories. This is the order for the day.

> As you’re known as the Lone Ranger, people are speculating who will be in your line-up. Party observers have started to pair you with potential deputies, for example, the Ong-Ong pact of you and Ka Chuan. Any negotiations under way yet?

What negotiations? Nobody has even approached me for such talks so far.

Anyway, I feel that stories like who is on good terms or not on good terms with so-and-so, and who has formed a pact with whom should take a back seat.

In fact, I would think that MCA could perhaps look into the possibility of allowing all eligible members to decide on the presidency. And having the members to collectively decide on the top leadership can also give the party more clout.

Besides, people (members) have been debating the pros and cons of the existing structure of coming up with delegates to choose the central leadership. Our system, like any others, is bound to have some flaws. This is something that we can look into.

How about the politicians and the media forming a pact instead? We focus on writing on the vision of leaders, their plans for the people and how deliverable their plans are.

Political stories nowadays tend to be highly sensational, more akin to berita hiburan (entertainment stories).

> Since the March 8 political tsunami, MCA leaders have been talking about the need for the party to change or re-invent itself in order to stay relevant. How do you make changes to a 59-year-old party with over a million members?

If any leader is planning something to improve the people’s well-being for instance, it should be done in such a way that it would involve the participation of the people.

And at the end of the day, the people must be the ones who feel the pulse of development and reap the harvest. The people must know what you, as a leader, intend to bring to them, and how they can take part in the plans.

Announcing plans and big fat budgets will mean little, if anything, to the people.

In short, leaders got to have a vision and an agenda that is achievable and deliverable. Being ambitious and not being able to deliver is nothing but foolhardy.

> One of the issues on the ground is that there is still a need for discussions on where the party should go after the 100 days (from the March 8 polls). How long would it take for the people to see some light at the end of the tunnel?

To start off with, there is no single recipe to address all woes.

And the problems the members encounter will certainly differ from one place to another. For instance, the problems faced by our people in the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states would differ from those faced in other states under the Barisan Nasional.

In short, there must be a macro agenda from the party’s top brass to spearhead changes. Each state needs to have its own agenda and institute the changes accordingly.

One thing for sure is that changes have to be gradual. Anything too abrupt may backfire.

Complaints are understandable. The fact is that people need to feel secure. Having said that, the people must also ready themselves for an appropriate change in mindset to keep up with changes.

> If you were to be granted three wishes for the party, what would they be?

My first wish for the party, and the nation, in fact, is for the economic hardship faced by the people to be addressed effectively. This is something very real, something that cuts across racial and religious lines, and irrespective of political affiliations.

My second wish is that MCA endeavours to institute changes to help the people keep abreast with the increasingly challenging times and economy, at home and globally.

My third wish, certainly not the last one, is that there must be practical ways and means to enhance the overall competitiveness of our populace to keep the people and nation relevant.

This has got to be done by the nation, including my party. If we were to allow the prevailing mindset to linger on, the focus on political tussle, I don’t think we are going to go far.

Malaysians must be able to stay competitive. It is like going for the high jump, we keep raising the bar to reach for greater heights.

Right now, things are not moving.