Chua: Gan has my backing for president
‘He is a former veep with no political baggage’
PETALING JAYA: Potential MCA presidential candidate Gan Ping Sieu has a former president’s backing in the upcoming polls.
Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek (pic) said Gan, a former party vice-president, had no “political baggage”.
“Have to wait for his announcement first. If there are no other better candidates, I will support him,” Dr Chua said at a press conference here yesterday to announce he would not contest for the president’s post in November.
His announcement puts to rest speculation that he was making a political comeback.
To date, only deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has announced that he would go for the top post.
Dr Chua did not say if he would or would not support Dr Wee. However, he did say that three ex-ministers and four former deputy ministers (2014-2018) came with political baggage and should stay out of the elections.
His reasoning was that they were perceived as having failed to address a host of issues, singling out the 1MDB scandal, that eventually toppled the Barisan Nasional government in the May 9 polls.
Dr Chua pointed out that scandals like 1MDB would drag on – and being associated with it would hinder MCA’s tranformation process.
Dr Wee, who won the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat, is MCA’s only MP currently. He was Minister in the Prime Minister’ s Department prior to GE14.
Party insiders expect a straight fight between Dr Wee, a 50-year-old civil engineer and Gan, a lawyer.
Outgoing president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who was the former Transport Minister, said he took responsibility over the party’s loss at the general election and would not defend his post.
Dr Chua said the new leadership should be able to transform the party to regain the trust of its disillusioned but loyal members and the Chinese community, in order to move foward.
He said feedback showed MCA’s biggest enemy at GE14 was not DAP or PAS, but itself.
Dr Chua claimed the leadership had “disconnected” themselves with party members and the transformation after the November party polls should address this aspect.
He said top party leaders had not spent enough time going to the ground.
They did not listen to party members’ grievances over the high cost of living to abuses in Umno and widespread corruption. This, he said, saw members turn from disappointment to anger, then hate.
In response, Dr Wee said MCA was a democratic political party that respected the views of every party member and the choice made by representatives with voting rights.
“Since joining MCA in 1992, I’ve participated in numerous party elections at different levels and have never received the blessings of Dr Chua.
“This time is no exception, but I am still respectful of his choice and open to his ideas and views,” he said.
Dr Wee said MCA’s future depends on its ability to be an effective force and its determination to transform.
He also welcomed anyone with political ambitions to stand in the party elections and contribute towards the party’s political discourse and transformation agenda.