By Syed Jaymal Zahiid - Free Malaysia TodayKUALA LUMPUR: Former MCA president Ong Tee Keat claimed current party leader Dr Chua Soi Lek was supportive of “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy).
Ong also suggested that much of Chua's opposition against it now was a carbon copy of his position on the issue.
"In a way, he shared some of my views," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here today.
"I brought this up as early as 2008 when I was interviewed by Bernama, and of course I came under fire back then. But at the same time I can still remember some time ago that he (Chua) was supportive of Ketuanan Melayu," he added.
Ong was ousted by Chua at the party polls earlier this year. Their rivalry had almost crippled the MCA amid a crisis of confidence among the nation's second biggest electorate.
Since then, Chua has become vocal in championing Chinese rights in a perceived attempt to woo back the Chinese into the MCA fold.
He has made several controversial statements including calling for the "gradual" removal of Bumiputera corporate equity and urged Umno, the Malay lynchpin in Barisan Nasional, to stop its "big brother" treatment of the non-Malay component parties in the coalition.
Fresh enmity
The former health minister's remarks have sparked fresh enmity between his party and the Umno leadership.
But Ong said Chua's anti-Ketuanan Melayu posturing was "perplexing" as the latter's backing of the idea received front-page coverage in Umno's mouthpiece, Utusan Malaysia.
"The Utusan article was in the late 1990s and that was given very good coverage. It's not that anyone concocted the story".
He also accused his rival of watering down a race-transcending proposal on the appointments of BN divisional chiefs which he claimed he made when he was MCA president.
Ong said he had proposed that the BN divisional chief post should be given to a candidate from the component party controlling the particular constituency and this was accepted by MCA's top leadership.
However, Ong claimed it was later "watered down" and eventually overturned by the current president.
"He somehow, without the knowledge of the grassroots members, overturned the decision and at the end of the day, the BN chief post still goes to Umno and of course that was done with his full knowledge and consent as well," he added.
Chua's refusal to play second fiddle to Umno and his call not to use sensitive terms like Ketuanan Melayu have triggered another verbal war between MCA and Umno.
Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said that Chua's statement has upset many leaders from the Malay party, but MCA leaders have retaliated, saying that Umno should be open to criticism.
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