Editor’s note: This is the fourth part of a series of excerpts from former health minister and MCA president Chua Soi Lek’s book, ‘Like Me or Hate Me: Rising from the Political Ashes’.
BOOK EXCERPT | When the 2008 election campaign began, I returned to Batu Pahat to campaign for Datuk Koh Chee Chai in the Bandar Penggaram state seat, another constituency I used to represent. But I also campaigned for my son and Labis parliamentary seat candidate, Chua Tee Yong. So I was busy travelling between Batu Pahat and Labis every day.
As this was Tee Yong’s first election campaign, he had to learn the ropes and the skills needed when giving speeches to Malay, Indian and Chinese crowds.
The gist of such a speech, I told him, was a very brief introduction of himself, his past experience as a chartered accountant and his final job as chief financial officer in a subsidiary of a government-linked company. This should be followed by what he would do if he won the seat. There were to be no announcements of government grants, no personal attacks against political opponents, and no controversial references to race or religion.
I also did my best to help Labis MCA divisional chairman Tan Kok Hong. He was defending his Bekok state seat for the third term. Bekok was another state seat within the parliamentary seat of Labis. Tan Kok Hong was an ex-Special Branch inspector. Fortunately, he got along well with Tee Yong.
During the campaign period, the MCA members in Labis were cooperative and gave their full support to both Tee Yong and Kok Hong. There was no factional politics. The MCA general election machinery also functioned smoothly and effectively. I played the role of adviser in the election operation room.
Tee Yong had no difficulties in delivering his speech in Bahasa Malaysia, but he struggled when delivering Mandarin speeches. I impressed upon him that he needed to improve his Mandarin. It was advice he quickly took to heart. Six years later, his Mandarin is much better than mine when I was serving my second term as a state assemblyman.
During the campaign period, my speeches were short. I told voters in Labis that with Tee Yong (photo) as an MP, there would be two people serving the constituency. Since I was an ordinary member with more time on my hands, the voters in Labis could feel free to contact me if they needed advice or help. I have honoured that pledge to this day and still visit the Labis constituency when the need arises.
It was obvious, from the time I resigned from all posts until the general election, that there had been a concerted effort to ensure my supporters and friends understood that I was no longer welcome in the party. In short, the expectation was that I should withdraw from politics completely and be consigned to the political dustbin, never to be heard or seen again.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health was not spared from political interference. When I resigned, Ka Ting took over as the acting minister of health. And after the election, he appointed Liow Tiong Lai as minister of health.
A MoH official told me an instruction was also given that MoH officials should not help me in any way if I made any enquiry or sought help from ministry officials about projects that I started when I was the minister. The argument given was that this was necessary to ensure I did not receive any financial support from concessionaires and contractors who were involved in ministry projects.
It appeared that his real calculation was that if I was deprived of financial resources, it would be difficult for me to make a political comeback. Since then, I have avoided contacting the MoH to underline the point that I did not approve and award projects for personal monetary gain.
Writing on the wall
In retrospect, I should thank my political opponents. Their concerted attempts to bury me politically angered my friends and supporters. Their efforts also provided me with a stimulus, encouraging me to work harder and not to give up.
I wanted to prove that the majority of my comrades and friends, as well as the public in general, did not subscribe to the moral policing propagated by President Ong and his supporters.
Unfortunately for him, Ong Tee Keat (photo, left) attempted to use the same moral high ground to undermine me at the later stage of my political career. This attempt to take on the role of moral guardian was to become a fatal self-inflicted political blow that caused him to lose the presidency to me in 2010.
Four days after nomination day, I received a call from the office of the Johor menteri besar, Abdul Ghani Othman, asking me to campaign with him in several hotly contested seats in the state. It was then that I learnt that a general instruction had been given to MCA leaders in Johor not to get me involved in the campaign. The logic was that my presence would drive away voters.
However, because of the menteri besar’s request I did campaign in Bakri and Gelang Patah, two Chinese-majority constituencies hotly contested by the DAP. I made two appearances in each constituency with the menteri besar. While campaigning in these areas, it soon became obvious to me that the ground was shifting against the BN, especially among the Chinese voters...