GE15: Ong Tee Keat joins Warisan, keen on contesting Pandan seat

PETALING JAYA: The current political turmoil has prompted former MCA president Ong Tee Keat to return to the political scene and join Warisan after a five-year hiatus.

He said if given a chance he would like to contest the Pandan parliamentary seat, a seat he is familiar with after being its MP for two terms from 2004 to 2013.

Ong also served four terms from 1989 as Ampang Jaya MP, from which Pandan was later carved out from.

He said a lot had changed in the Pandan constituency since he left, with constituents telling him there were no festivals to foster unity like he used to host when he was MP.

Sharing on his comeback, he said it was spurred by the political turmoil in the country over the past few years and was made at the urging of Warisan president Shafie Apdal.

"I’m coming back as a freshie with a lot of experience," he said as quoted by Sin Chew Daily.

Ong, speaking about the political turmoil in the country over the past few years, said he was disappointed that some politicians lacked principles and wavered in their stances.

He was also upset that the Federal budget since Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration in 2020 had been grossly "imbalanced."

Adding on to his disappointment was the political agreement or MoU between the opposition and the government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob which he said was like a "ceasefire agreement" and amounted to "simply giving up and surrendering."

The MOU, he said, would also cost Ismail's government to not be free of too many challenges.

"Is this what the people want? I don’t think so," he said.

Ong was with MCA for 28 years and resigned in 2017 wanting to be an "ordinary citizen."

In 2008 he was transport minister and prior to that, he had been deputy youth and sports minister and deputy higher education minister.