Thursday, May 29, 2008

Gerakan FT chief: So predictable I'll be told to leave

Gerakan FT chief: So predictable I'll be told to leave

On his future: I'm not waiting around for apples to fall
By Jerome Martin

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong seems to have accepted that he will soon be the former Federal Territory Gerakan chairman after agreeing to a three-month stint heading the "Taskforce Tanah Selangor" which will look into improving policies and administration problems with land ownership.

Revelations that Tan had joined former Gerakan deputy secretary-general Datuk Lee Kah Choon as the second leader from the party to work with a Pakatan Rakyat state government yesterday resulted in Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak insisting today that Tan must quit Gerakan.

However, in a tele-conversation with The Malaysian Insider, Tan revealed that he had already seen the writing on the wall the moment he accepted Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim's appointment.

"When I said last month that I didn't intend to seek re-election as Segambut division chairman, there was speculation that I was aiming for top central leadership. But I never said that and now that I have accepted Khalid's invitation, it should be obvious that I had no such plans," he said.

He bemoaned the reality of "narrow-minded partisan" Malaysian politics, echoing Lee's sentiments of wanting to serve the nation.

"When I joined Gerakan in '95, I thought politics could be a vehicle to help the country and the people. I believed I tried my best although some top leaders said I was selfish," he said pointedly, adding that others had referred to him as "over-the-hill, a nuisance who doesn't toe the party line."

In his own defence, he listed a number of grouses which he implied had led him to his decision. He was dropped from the March 8 elections despite having won by healthy majorities in Segambut in prior campaigns and also claimed that he had not been consulted by acting president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon over potential FT candidates for the recent polls, alleging that numerous attempts to reach the party chief had been rebuffed with "very busys."

To further his claim of lack of communication, as of 4.20pm today, he said that the central leadership had yet to contact him concerning his new appointment.

"So at this point, I can only thank Najib for his kind words of advice," he said sarcastically before adding a quip: "Now I'm like a beautiful girl who is suddenly noticed by another man."

As he did with previous statements to the press, he declined to comment on the future beyond his three-month appointment.

"I'm already 51 and I'm not going to wait around for apples to fall. So I am taking up this challenge even though I know it's not going to be easy as it's been a long standing problem. I will have a lot of time to think about my future in the next 3 months."

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