Archive for January, 2008
Observers Suggest Possible Comeback Attempt By Former Malaysian Health Minister
KUALA LUMPUR : Observers in Malaysia suggest a possible comeback attempt by disgraced former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, which could trigger intense politicking within his political party.
All is not lost for Dr Chua, who fell from grace and stepped down after a sex scandal.
Dr Chua had also resigned his parliamentary seat, and his vice-presidency at the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).
The MCA, a key member of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, is keeping his post vacant until triennial party elections due later this year.
Some political observers believe the disgraced former minister is buying time, and will try to stage a comeback.
Professor Khoo Kay Kim, Political Analyst, University Malaya, said, “He won’t be the first politician in the world who’s done something wrong, repented and made a comeback.”
Lim Kit Siang, Leader, Democratic Action Party, said, “He’s going to face considerable uphill obstacles because of what he has gone through, but one can never know…”
MCA chief Ong Ka Ting, who is now the Acting Health Minister, has postponed party elections originally scheduled in March or April.
As this is the first time the MCA’s internal polls have been shelved, the announcement has sparked off speculation that General Elections will be called during that period.
Previous party polls had been heated affairs, with mudslinging and split loyalties.
Analysts believe a repeat of that would undermine the MCA’s performance at the national level.
When he admitted that he was the man filmed in a sex tryst, Dr Chua suggested that he was the victim of internal politicking.
His meeting with his lover in a hotel was made into a DVD and circulated publicly.
Dr Chua said, “People are smart enough to use it, this is the most cost effective, time effective so I’m sure I’ll not be the first and I won’t be the last.”
The MCA has issued a gag order barring party members from discussing the issue openly, a move that has raised eyebrows.
Mr Lim said, “It’s a reflection of guilty conscience that his downfall is a result of MCA politicking and the more they talk about it, the more they’ll highlight and bring home to the people that this is all unprincipled and MCA is jostling for power.”
Professor Khoo said, “If there had been two groups, new team A, team B for example, one team has already lost its leader. I think it is better for the team which has lost its leader not to pursue their struggle.”
However, MCA party chief Ong Ka Ting has dismissed speculation of a political conspiracy.
He said, “We commend him for putting the party and country before self.”
Despite the show of unity, there is no denying that a Batu Pahat MCA member was jailed for having copies of Dr Chua’s DVD. - CNA/ms
Channel News Asia
Malaysia’s Health Minister Resigns Over Sex Video Scandal
KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia’s health minister resigned from his cabinet post on Wednesday after admitting his role in a video showing him having sex with a female friend in a hotel room.
Chua Soi Lek, 61, the most senior member of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s government to resign after a sex scandal, announced that he was also stepping down from parliament.
“I won’t be the first and I won’t be the last (politician to be caught in such a situation),” Chua, a married man with three children, told a hastily convened news conference.
“It is up to the public to judge me,” he added.
Chua admitted on Tuesday that he was in the video, which has been splashed on the front pages of Malaysian newspapers since the DVD started circulating in southern Johor state last week.
Chua is the vice president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a key part of Abdullah’s coalition government.
He said his family was fully supportive of his decision and admitted that the scandal was taking a toll. “I live in a very close-knit family, but I am confident that my family will support me,” he added.
The video is believed to have been taken from closed-circuit television and was recorded two years ago, according to the state news agency Bernama.
Chua met Abdullah on Monday to discuss the situation, Bernama said, and it was decided then that he had to go public with his identity.
The resignation will hit Abdullah’s government. He is expected to announce general elections this year although his administration’s mandate runs until May 2009.
Sex scandals among politicians are not uncommon in Malaysia, with several members of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) having been forced to resign in recent years.
Defiant to the last, Chua drew a line between his public and private life, refusing to comment on the incident portrayed in the tape.
“If you want to discuss my private life, please do,” he told reporters at his press conference. “Maybe you would like to watch the videotape with me.”
- AFP/ms/so
Channel News Asia