Tee Keat VS Evil Forces

MCA president Ong Tee Keat

Ong Tee Keat declares that he is a follower of the Buddhist faith. He religiously wears a prayer beads on his left hand wherever he goes to protect himself from negative forces. The rosary was given to him by his spiritual master some years ago. It seems to work so far. He had gone through the Team A and Team B political wars. When he was MCA's Youth chairman he went through unscathed during the 803 Incident. The incident during the Youth AGM held on Aug 3, 2001 at the Flamingo Hotel in Ampang saw the youth supporters of the rival teams throwing chairs at each other. Ong Tee Keat just sat firmly on the stage during the fracas and later took control of the situation.

The blogger with Ong Tee Keat during a function when he was still the Deputy Youth Minister. The rosary is on his left wrist.

Tee Keat is known as a politician that strike things on his own disregarding whose tail he steps on. He openly demands explaination from the MCA leadership when Ling Liong Sik was the then president regarding the Chang Min Thien Foundation issue. He even criticized his own party leaders in 2002 for acquiring the Nanyang Press Holdings Bhd. At one time he even claims there are hidden black hands involved within MCA. He was elected as MCA's vice president in 2005 and subsequently as the president in 2008, standing on his own platform without openly alligning himself with any factions in the party.

Winning the MCA presidency

His recent claims that there are negative forces which are trying to bring harm and dethrone him from the MCA presidency cause alarm at least within MCA and the Chinese community if not the nation. The message he is trying to convey to the public is that he is besieged from all corners, from internal and also external forces. The situation must be so serious that it entails all MCA ministers and deputy ministers to issue a joint statement to support his leadership, of course minus his estranged deputy president who is not a minister.

Other then providing a united stand for their besieged president, the supporting statement also implies that Ong Tee Keat is not getting the necessary open supports from his non-MCA cabinet ministers. Umno ministers has been eerily silent on Tee Keat's handling of the PKFZ issue which creates an impression something is brewing within Umno's inner circle. Even Prime Minister Najib Razak had announced all matter related to PKFZ will be handled by Tee Keat. Wow! how statesman-like.

Maybe non-MCA ministers or deputy ministers are washing their hands off from the PKFZ issue because they are in the position to know it involves many big guns within the BN family. These politicians are just playing it safe i.e. do not throw stones if you are staying in glass houses. It seems Tee Keat will have to do it alone in facing the PKFZ debacle. Even if his comrades openly gave their open support it will not means anything if his other cabinet colleagues are just watching from the sidelines. Furthermore the open support from his comrades can be suspected knowing that his downfall will provide an opportunity for his comrades to move up the party hierarchy. That's the reality in poltical parties.

It looks like Tee Keat is fighting the war alone and need to watch his back more seriously. Maybe his prayer beads will protects him from the evil forces, just as it has been all this while. - Loka