Ong: I've nothing to do with snoop squad (Malaysiakini)

MCA president Ong Ka Ting today dismissed accusations that he had set up a snoop team to spy on rival party leaders.

MCPX"This is an unsubstantiated allegation which was widely publicised. There is no truth in it at all," he said in a statement released after his meeting with a specially formed three-member panel to look into the snoop squad allegation."I have nothing to do with it. The allegation is totally baseless," he said.Ong had met the panel, headed by Sak Cheng Lum with Michael Chen and Roger Tan being the other two members, for about an hour in Parliament.

Chen told reporters at the MCA headquarters in Jalan Ampang that the party president explained his role in the various allegations made to the panel by MCA Petaling Jaya Utara adviser Wong Leong last Tuesday.Wong had claimed that party president Ong Ka Ting had set up the squad to expose the private lives of certain leaders who could threaten his position.He also named MCA Youth chief and Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Wee Jeck Seng and former Gerakan Belia Bersatu leader Tee Ann Chuan as being members of the snoop squad.He further alleged that Tee was under Ong's payroll for RM10,000 per month for the snooping purpose.

Both Liow and Wee have denied the accusations.Political smearToday Ong stressed that Wong's allegations were politically motivated and a smearing campaign undertaken to disrepute him in the run up to the party polls later this year."There is no truth that I paid Tee. The allegations are totally baseless," he repeated.He also said that he acted under the mandate granted by the party to pick candidates for the March 8 general election.His detractors have claimed that he has picked wrong candidates for the election and that had caused the party to suffer a humiliating blow in the polls.Ong said that the allegations made against him were defamatory in nature and that he was reserving his right to initiate legal action.

Character assassination

Meanwhile Liow met the panel for about 30 minutes and after his meeting he too issued a statement denying his alleged role in the snoop squad."These are serious allegations and I deny outright my involvement in it (snoop squad)," he said.He said that the allegations amounted to "character assassination and dirty tricks to achieve personal agenda".