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Sunday February 3, 2008

MCA not swapping seats with MIC, says Ka Chuan

IPOH: MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan has dispelled talk that the party will be swapping seats with Perak MIC in the next general election.

Commenting on reports that the MCA would swap one of its state seats for the Tapah parliamentary constituency with its coalition partner, Ong said:

“It is highly unlikely that we will be swapping seats with them.”

“I don’t think it is advisable and necessary as we are so close to the election now,” he said after attending an early Chinese New Year celebration at the Tow Bow Keong Temple here yesterday.

Ong, who is also Perak MCA chief, said it was not a practice to swap seats at the eleventh hour unless in unusual circumstances.

“There will not be enough time for preparations and it will be problematic for the party,” said Ong, who also declined to elaborate on which constituency he would be contesting in the election.

After handing out ang pow and hampers to residents of the Sungai Siput Old Folks Home, about 40km from here, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said he would not announce any changes now because he had to first obtain the approval of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Barisan Nasional chief.

“We have to wait for the PM to decide on the election (date) and ask for the candidate list. That is the only time we can talk to him. Not now,” he said when asked about changes in Perak MIC on the election.

MIC sources also denied that both parties had been meeting on the matter.

They also said it did not make sense for the MIC to give up a parliamentary seat for a state seat.

“If there is a swap, it would be between two parliament seats and not a parliament and state seat,” said a party insider.

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