Kedah MCA snubs Ka Ting

In what appears to be a direct snub, 14 of the 15 divisions in the Kedah MCA have rejected former party president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting’s invitation to a luncheon scheduled for tomorrow, forcing the presidential candidate to cancel it at the last moment.

The party’s state deputy chairman, Datuk Chong Itt Chew, told The Malaysian Insider that the luncheon had initially been fixed for 12.30pm in Sungai Petani but due to the poor response, Ka Ting had to cancel it.

“We just say ‘padan muka’ (serves him right) to him. He had to move the lunch gathering to Seberang Jaya in Penang instead,” said Chong when contacted today.

The obvious snub, said Chong, was solid proof that Ka Ting did not command any support from the state’s 173 central delegates unlike what was claimed in a Chinese daily last week.

The report, he said, had claimed that Ka Ting had 60 per cent support of the central delegates in Kedah, which was not correct.

“I cannot answer you why Kedah divisions do not support Ka Ting but generally, we feel that he simply should not re-enter the party and join the presidential race,” he said.

He added that only Sungai Petani division chairman Datuk Beh Heng Tiong had agreed to attend the luncheon.

“Even then, he is a staunch supporter of (former deputy president Datuk Seri) Dr Chua Soi Lek,” he said.

Dr Chua is one of Ka Ting’s contenders in the three-way race for the party presidency in the polls this Sunday. The two will face incumbent president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

Chong said Beh had only agreed to attend the function as his brother, former Kedah MCA division chairman Datuk Beh Heng Seong, had organised it.

“He was only coming to give face to his brother,” said Chong, who is allied to Dr Chua as well and is contesting for a post in the party’s central committee.

Meanwhile, another central committee candidate, Loh Seng Kok, claimed that despite positive reports of Ka Ting’s trip to meet Sabah delegates yesterday, the latter had actually received a poor welcome from the state’s more than 25 divisions.

“Only four division chairmen turned up,” he said.

This, he added, was in spite of the fact that Ka Ting had once led the Sabah liaison body.

courtesy of Malaysian Insider