Ong: I’m ready to stand aside if told

‘It’s up to the party leadership to decide my fate in the coming elections’

BIDOR: Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan is ready to give up for the Tanjung Malim parliamentary seat should the MCA leadership have a more suitable candidate.

“For me, my personal interest is not the issue because we must have a broader view and focus on the party’s victory as a whole in the general election, considering the current political scenario and challenges.

“So if the party has a better candidate for the seat, I will have to accept the reality,” said the incumbent Tanjung Malim MP and MCA secretary-general.

“However, if the party still wants me to serve and contest the election, I will accept it,” said Ong after attending the groundbreaking ceremony for a pre-school building at SJKC Pin Min here yesterday.

Although he has yet to receive any instruction from MCA, Ong said he would continue serving the constituents in Tanjung Malim as he is still the MP.

“I will work until Parliament is dissolved, as it is my responsibility.

“Sometimes in politics, we give others a hand and when we’re in need, we’ll be helped too,” he said.

For the coming polls, Ong noted that there would not be any “safe seat” for MCA and the party must be united and committed in order to stand a chance at winning.

He also said MCA was going to contest in at least 127 federal and state seats in the general election, a figure no less than the previous polls.

On another issue, Ong, the International Trade and Industry Minister II, said Malaysia was wor- king with Singapore to bring in foreign manufacturers whose industrial land leases are expiring in the city-state to set up plants in Malaysia.

Calling such a collaboration “unique”, as both countries used to compete against each other for foreign investors, he said discussions were under way for a more comprehensive arrangements to bring in the firms.

“There are two categories of manufacturers we are looking at, one is the foreign manufacturers whose land leases have or are going to expire.

“In land-scarce Singapore, they recover land upon lease expiry and reallocate them for other use based on changing socio-economic needs,” he said.

“Usually after a 30-year lease, the foreign manufacturers will be asked to relocate their plants elsewhere and are not likely to be given an extension.

“We want to attract these foreign manufacturers to relocate to Malaysia," Ong said, adding that Malaysia was also interested in attracting Singapore manufacturers to set up plants locally.

Ong said the ministry was hopeful of developing a 607ha land in Tanjung Malim for the manufacturers to come in greater numbers and with incentives.