Chua Soi Lek blasts former govt colleagues in autobiography

PETALING JAYA: Former MCA president Chua Soi Lek alleged that the trials surrounding the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) fiasco were a little more than a "political show" put on by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
In his autobiography Like Me or Hate Me: Rising from the Political Ashes, he said when the two former ministers of Transport which includes MCA's former president Ling Liong Sik; and deputy president from 2003 to 2008, Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy were charged in court, there was speculation that the move was designed to demonstrate the government's commitment to fight corruption.
"At last, It seemed, the government was willing to go after the 'big fish'. However, many in the legal fraternity felt the charges were poorly framed,
"The charge of cheating the government was difficult to prove in court since it required prosecutors to show exactly how the government was cheated.
"The (former) prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak) said the government was committed to investigate the PKFZ issue thoroughly and urged the various parties to be patient while the relevant authorities completed their investigation. However the findings of the task force was were never released to the public.
"The conclusion of the general public on after the acquittals was that the trials were a little more than just a political show put on by the BN government," he said.
In his book he also said that former Transport minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat had tried to capitalise on the PKFZ fiasco by projecting an image of a no-nonsense minister after the March 2008 General Election.
"He (Ong Tee Keat) appointed Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, an accountant and former state assemblyman in Selangor, as the chairman of the Port Klang Authority, and asked PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to conduct and audit on the PKFZ.
"He also promised that the PwC's findings would be made public, and that he would submit its report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),
"The MACC investigated the MCA president. However it was apparently a very low-key inquiry and little of it has been heard since," He said.
He also added that Ong, had continued to refer to the PKFZ fiasco in major MCA functions, hoping to consolidate his power within the MCA and to establish himself as a minister untainted by corruption.
"While it is commendable that the MCA president (Ong Tee Keat) spoke openly about the matter, as the responsible minister, he also needs to fix the problem rather than just talk about it.
"Many members in the party, and even the public, believe that Ong has no clue how to go about resolving the problem.
"He is a typical politician, long on talk but short on delivery".