GE13: Ong Tee Keat opts out of Pandan race

(fz.com) – Instead, in a surprise announcement, Ong’s former private secretary Allan Tan said that he will take up the mantle and contest as an independent for the seat.

Tan, 35, said he was contesting under the spirit of Ong.

“I have received his blessing and will continue Ong’ programmes that have served the people, ” he said at the nomination centre.

Ong, the former MCA president, had been hotly tipped to stand as an independent after he was dropped from the Barisan Nasional candidate list.

But he surprised supporters this morning when he turned up near the nomination centre in Pandan and announced that he would not be contesting after all

Amid cries of dismay from the crowd, Ong expressed his gratitude to his supporters although many had considered him as a winnable candidate. 

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