Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, 26^th July 2009: 

I will lodge police report tomorrow to protect Ong Tee Keat’s life as well as to ensure that “dark forces” of politico-business underground do not extend their tentacles to compromise decision-making all the way to the Cabinet

I will lodge a police report tomorrow to protect MCA President and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s life as well as to ensure that “dark forces” of politico-business underground do not extend their tentacles to compromise decision-making all the way to the Cabinet.

In the past week, Ong had publicly alleged “politico-business forces” connected to the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal and “certain quarters in the ruling coalition” who have threatened his personal safety.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily last Thursday and his various speeches at MCA functions since then, Ong had made the most serious allegations about corruption and abuses of power in the highest levels of government decision-making all the way to the Cabinet, that corruption had emerged under the Najib premiership from the “darkness” into the open to do their evil work.

Ong even claimed that he was now "under siege" from people with vested interests in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, including some from within BN, revealing that he had received death threat delivered him in a message through some “secret society brothers”.

The MCA Sunday Star today reported that the death threat read: “If you’re wiped out from this world some day, you should know why this has happened.”

I had yesterday given him 48 hours to lodge police report about the death threat to a Cabinet Minister and the extension of underground forces in politico-business reaching all the way to the Cabinet, and that I will lodge a police report on his behalf if he dared not do so.

Unless Ong reports a report within the 48 hours deadline, I will lodge a police report to protect Ong’s life as well as to ensure that the dark forces of politico-business underground do not compromise the integrity of the government and Cabinet decision-making process.

I regret that Ong continues to imply that I am one of the “external forces” which has put him under siege in facing his “life-and-death” political crisis to avert a “Topple Ong” campaign.

Let me reiterate that I have no interest or role whatsoever in MCA politics, and I am in the least bothered whether there is a “Topple Ong” and there is no “Topple Ong” campaign in the MCA, as whether Ong or Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek becomes the MCA President is utterly inconsequential to Malaysians who do not see any difference between the two.

Ong wants to be a hero without heroism – which is why I had lambasted him for being a “hero outside, coward inside (Parliament and Cabinet)” – and there is a lengthening list of instances to substantiate this, the latest being the failure of MCA Ministers to ensure that the Cabinet sets up a comprehensive Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s unusual death at the MACC.

What Malaysians and I are interested are the full facts, uncensored disclosures and no-holds-barred investigations into the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – how a RM1.088 billion scandal in 2002 under Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik could quadruple to RM4.6 billion scandal under Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy in 2006 and now set to become a RM12.5 billion scandal under Ong.

Although Liong Sik had appeared before the Public Accounts Committee inquiring into the PKFZ scandal, the former MCA President and Transport Minister had thrown no new light – preferring to emulate the example of his former boss, Tun Dr. Mahathir, claiming convenient selective amnesia!

The second MCA Transport Minister, Chan Kong Choy, will appear before the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday. Is he going to emulate Mahathir and Liong Sik and also become a candidate for “convenient selective amnesia”?

I am very disappointed with Ong because he had pledged to “tell all” about the PKFZ scandal, hiding nothing, when he became Transport Minister after the March 2008 general election, but he failed to honour his pledge.

Although he had made public the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit report in the PKFZ, the PwC inquiry was not allowed to delve into the root causes of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal.

So far, Ong has revealed no more than 10% of the PKFZ scandal. Malaysians want the rest of the 90% of the PKFZ scandal to be made public – in particular who are the culprits responsible for the “mother of all scandals” in Malaysia and why no action has been taken against a single one of them all these years?

If Ong is going to be toppled as MCA President and Transport Minister for trying to reveal less than 10 per cent of the PKFZ scandal, why don’t he go the whole way to expose 100% of the PKFZ scandal and accept all consequences for such a principled and courageous act.

If Ong is prepared to expose 100% of the PKFZ scandal and just be content with expose of less than 10% of the scandal, I am prepared to support him to the hilt, even if it means consolidating his position as MCA President and Transport Minister.

I am prepared to co-operate with Ong to uncover the full story of the PKFZ scandal. Dare Ong accept my offer of co-operation?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor