Will the 'lone ranger' ride to the top?

Known as the "politician with a different voice," MCA vice-president Ong Tee Keat is also dubbed as the "lone ranger" within party circles.

Many outside the party circles look up to the 52-year-old politician for his eloquence especially his outspokenness on matters of public interests. The reading community also notes that Tee Keat continues to be a columnist for a Chinese daily (Sin Chew Jit Poh).

Will these characteristics and "intangible assets" of Tee Keat fade off as he climbs higher up the political ladder?

In fact, Tee Keat's political career spanning some two decades, his readiness to speak out and to call "a spade a spade," have never endeared him to any incumbent leadership particularly when traditional partisanship or factionalism occurs during a leadership crisis.

Strong political convictions

Perceptively, it is therefore a paradox that Tee Keat, the lone ranger did survive all these decades since he launched his political career as political secretary to Lee Kim Sai who was former labour minister in 1986.

Or was it pure coincidence that Tee Keat had his political humble beginnings serving Kim Sai (in Cantonese, meaning "golden lion") during that time, who was also known for his often frank, straightforward views against those of Umno.

Both men are known to have strong political convictions and "doing politics differently" during their respective times when traditional models of participation seemed to be running out of steam.

Some close associates believe that Tee Keat's character had much bearing during his childhood days. Raised in a fishmonger family (Hainanese clan), his father passed away when he was in Form One. Almost ending up as a school dropout, the young Tee Keat aged 13 pursued a career in engineering instead. That was after his mother reversed her earlier decision by not sending her son to become a car mechanic apprentice. It was a destiny and gratitude he treasures up to this day, for his mother.

After graduating in engineering (B. Engineering-Mechanic, Hon) in 1981, Tee Keat worked in various sales and marketing positions in the engineering field.

1n 1989, he contested the Ampang parliamentary seat after having served three years as political secretary to Kim Sai.

In his life, Tee Keat was never handed things on a "silver platter." Even in his political career, he admitted it as being a roller coaster ride. At times his outspokenness invited political "hiccups" as in the case of him being accused of lying over the "misuse of repair fund" relating to the SJKC Kung Yu school in Muar, Johor.

Some of his political rivals once described Tee Keat as a stubborn man, a "law unto himself." Yet, many who have known him in their political journey are beginning to understand him and his way of "doing politics differently."

Choosing sides

Malaysian Business' M Shanmugam who wrote a piece on Tee Keat (who was then MCA Youth leader) in 2001, said, "Tee Keat always has to fight his way to the top."

"Tee Keat is on unfamiliar turf. For once in his political career, he has forged an alliance-even if only with those opposed to party president Ling Liong Sik. In his 15 years of active party politics, Tee Keat was known to be a lone ranger ... not affiliated to any particular party leader nor is he known to have a passion for sycophancy politics."

"However, Tee Keat has a large following among the youth wing, evident by his election as secretary-general (of the wing) for three terms between 1990 and 1999."

Tee Keat had his fair share of controversies for his "straight-jacket talking," and sticking to facts instead of rhetoric. For instance, in 2005, Tee Keat caught many by surprise, coming out in the open denying the "caption" bestowed by his critics, calling him the "lone ranger."

Saying it was time to clarify, "Lone rangers cannot survive in MCA and I am not one. It is time for certain quarters to forget this unfairly perceived notion."

Perhaps, the best and bitter lessons Tee Keat learnt was during the Ling (Liong Sik) - Lim (Ah Lek) crisis. Tee Keat's allegiance to Team B (led by former deputy president Lim Ah Lek) virtually made him a target in the infamous "MCA Youth chair-throwing fracas incident" in 2001.

Tee Keat earned the wrath of Ling's supporters for his stand insisting that the former president Ling apologise for implicitly re-instating two youth leaders (both aligned to Team A) who were "sacked" during the youth assembly (after the chair-throwing incident).

Recalling that "team A outnumbered those in faction B," Ling at a central committee meeting held on Dec 20, 2001 "bull-dozed" a resolution with a specific hidden agenda to accept a "political solution" (to resolve the infamous incident) by "suspending the youth wing."

The greatest injustice was not bringing to book those culprits directly involved in the chair throwing. Ironically, it was supposedly to "bring back order and dignity" into the MCA youth movement.

It was a "bullying tactic" that Tee Keat would not probably forget in his political career.
Tee Keat was even labelled by some rival faction within his party as "Ong-Sama", (which sounded like the terrorist Osama bin Laden), a joke he laughed off with some foreign visitors at a dinner in 2007.

Going for the top?

In recent weeks, Tee Keat has been the subject of widespread speculation that he has been eyed to be the next party president, a post which the incumbent Ong Ka Ting had publicly declared he would not be contesting in the October 2008 elections.

Many questions are rising, for instance, the Chinese idiom, "Jie shi huan hun," (literally meaning "borrowing the corpse to regain the soul") - suggesting will the incumbent president Ka Ting assists his elder brother Ka Chuan to contest a top post?

The stage is set for the divisional elections on July 27 and moving forward to the battle-line of the October 2008 event. Will a re-visiting of the "ghosts" (factionalism involving Team A and B) take place? What will be the likely scenario on the outcome of the candidates' line-up for the contests?

Tee Keat may not have the answers to all these questions but one thing is for sure, he is in the spotlight and the road ahead may be no different from the one he has walked for the past 22 years.

Tee Keat was appointed transport minister, soon after he won the Pandan parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election under the MCA-BN ticket, defeating his political rival, a high profile PKR candidate Syed Shahrir Syed Mohamud (who is MTUC president).