Tee Keat: RM440,000 watch not for me

MCA president Ong Tee Keat has denied that a watch claimed to be worth more than HK$1 million (RM440,000) was a given to him as a personal gift.

He said it was given in the name of the party.

"It was given to me in my capacity as the president of MCA and I will keep it as a memento in the name of the party," he told reporters after holding a dialougue session with representatives of the Federation of Chinese Guilds and Associations, in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said the watch, presented by a watchmaker from Hong Kong at a function in Penang yesterday, could not be found in the market and had motifs based on religion.

"There's nothing secretive about it. To me, I am still what I am and the reason why he presented that timepiece, according to his explanation, was because he was touched by my commitment and our (MCA) commitment in pursuing the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) debacle," he said.

On today's meeting, Ong, who is also transport minister, said among the issues raise by representatives of the 27 guilds in the federation were on challenges the business sector would face this year as well as job opportunities for school leavers.

- Bernama