MCA should investigate source of RM16.5 mln election fund — Lim

GEORGE TOWN: MCA should investigate the source of the RM16.5 million fund they allegedly received from Barisan Nasional (BN) during the 13th General Election (GE13).

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the previous MCA president Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek had admitted last year that MCA was among the political parties which had received the election funds.

“Now, the current president should investigate the source of the fund instead of washing his hand off. If it was from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, it should be returned back to the rakyat,” he told reporters here yesterday.

He said Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, as the current president of MCA, should not be ignorant about the matter and wash his hand off by claiming that the party did not receive a single sen.

Lim said this in response to an English daily report yesterday which quoted Wee as saying that since the day he became MCA deputy president on Dec 21, 2014, the party had not received a single sen.

However, Lim who is also Finance Minister said the present administration, did not ignore the wrongs done by the previous government, such as the RM19.47 billion unpaid Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund.

“It is the same thing, but we did not wash our hands off the issue, but instead we are working our way to repay the GST refund to companies and individuals,” he added.

It was reported in October last year that Chua had openly admitted that former BN president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had distributed a total of RM470 million to BN component parties in the 2013 general election and MCA was one of the recipients.

Meanwhile, Penang Chinese Chambers of Commerce (PCCC) Penang president Datuk Seri Hong Yeam Wah announced that PCCC will organise a 2019 Chinese New Year Open House to be attended by Lim on Feb 5 at Setia Spice Convention Centre.