Tiong has not retracted his allegations.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — The deadline MCA president and Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat gave Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing to retract his allegations has passed and Ong said that he will now proceed to sue.
Ong had last week threatened to sue Tiong for criminal defamation if the latter did not retract his claims within seven days that he gave RM10 million in donations for MCA to Ong.
Since then, Tiong, whose company is the main developer of the scandal-hit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and is under investigation by Ong's ministry, has repeatedly said that he will not retract his claim nor apologise for it.
At a press conference today, Ong said he will file a lawsuit but declined to give a timeframe for doing so.
"Be a little bit patient. When I say I am going to do it, I am going to do it," he told reporters after witnessing a signing ceremony here this morning.
The embattled transport minister, who has built up an image of being clean and transparent and won some praise for pushing for the investigation of the PKFZ, has seen his reputation take a hit after Tiong's allegations.
Ong today said that he will continue efforts to clear his name and bristled at suggestions that he should lie low on the matter to protect the image of Barisan Nasional (BN) as Tiong is the BN Backbenchers Club chief.
"This is not a personal issue or a personal fight. It is nothing personal. I have no personal dealings with him. It is not for us to assume PKFZ as a personal issue. You think I should keep quiet? That I should avoid making public statements? That is not me," said Ong.
Tiong's allegations are just some of the mounting problems faced by Ong who reportedly said that he is in danger of losing his transport minister job ever since pushing for PKFZ to be investigated.
Supporters of his bitter rival and MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek are also expected to push for an EGM to remove him.
Ong has also been also forced to explain why he "borrowed" private jets linked to Tiong's company and said that the allegations were an attempt by Tiong to deflect attention from the findings of a task force that his company had made at least RM500 million in questionable claims in the PKFZ project.
He added today that he has noticed Tiong "wavering" in his remarks to the media.
"The quantum (of the donation) has been wavering from RM2 million to RM10 million," said Ong.
Tiong, on the other hand, claims no ill intentions in the donations and said he just wanted to help MCA.
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