Ong demands apology from Tiong

Farah Azreen, Malaysian Mirror

Ong Tee Keat has filed a police report against Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing today. He also demanded an apology from Tiong for his public statement that he (Ong) took a RM10 million ‘loan’ from him.

The MCA president told a news conference this morning that his lawyers have been instructed to issue a legal notice to Tiong, asking him to retract his allegation and issue an apology.

"If he fails to respond, legal action will be initiated against him in seven days," the transport minister said.

Tiong who is also BN backbenchers club chairperson claimed to Malaysiakini yesterday that he had given RM10 million in donation to the MCA president last year in order to carry out party activities.

Denied allegations

According to him, the money was paid in cash over three installments during meetings with Ong but Tiong conceded that he did not keep receipts of the alleged payments.

The MCA president reiterated today that he did not receive any money from Tiong.

"If indeed I have received pecuniary and financial benefits for myself or the party, there will be more reasons for me to protect the interests of the givers, as opposed to proceeding to expose their misdeeds. By doing so, I am risking my personal and family safety as well as my own credibility," Ong said on his blog www.ongteekeat.net yesterday.

He described the allegations made by Tiong, who is also the chief executive of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor at the centre of the Port Klang Free Zone controversy, as "smear tactics and character assassination" against him.

At the media meet today, Ong said the allegations was "the work of people who are trying to undermine my integrity and obligation as transport minister and MCA president.”

He said it was clear that the motives and intentions of these individuals were to derail the efforts of the Transport Ministry and the Port Klang Authority to solve the PKFZ issue.

“I take it as another hurdle of the many that I have faced in my efforts to protect the interest of the people, in particular in the handling of the PKFZ issue,” he said, adding that he was confident that the party was strong enough to withstand such challenges and efforts to undermine it.

In another development, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has lodged a police report on the 'RM10 loan’ issue in Petaling Jaya this afternoon.

More to come …