KUALA LUMPUR: MCA Secretary-General Datuk Wong Foon Meng said a person elected to a senior party post by the central delegates may not mean he would be recommended for a government post.

"We have to draw a clear line between party and Cabinet posts.

"If the central delegates have elected you to a party post, that means they want you to handle the party job well, not necessarily because they want you to take up a post in the government.

"As for the candidates for Cabinet posts, the party would make recommendations to the prime minister based on a number of considerations."

He said during an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily that the prime minister had before appointed those not in the supreme council to be ministers, such as second finance minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and former minister in the prime minister's department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Besides, he said when PPP president M Kayveas was recommending a candidate for Cabinet post, he chose to recommend the youth wing chief Murugiah A/L Thopasamy to be a deputy minister instead of the party's deputy or vice presidents.

Many senior UMNO leaders do not hold Cabinet posts

"Many senior party leaders, including those from UMNO, are not taking up any Cabinet posts, and those with government posts may not hold very important party posts either," he said when asked to comment on the fact that some have been speculating whether MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek would be recommended for a government post after the party's new central committee line-up was unveiled few days ago.

During an interview with Sin Chew Daily earlier, Chua Soi Lek said he had the way or channel to find out whether the party would recommend him to the prime minister for a ministerial post, and that if he was not given the opportunity to perform in the party, he would apologise to the central delegates.

Subsequently, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat reminded Soi Lek not to contradict himself in his words, and the latter responded by saying, "My memories are still very strong."

The bitter interaction between the party's top two figures has become the focus of concerns among the public.

On the cooperation between the party's top leaders, Wong Foon Meng said if everyone performs his duties based on the arrangements made by the party president and sets personal interests aside, then a lot of unnecessary controversies would have been avoided.

He said the mot important thing is to place party interests above self interests and focus all the attention to get the work done.

Facing uphill task to integrate Selangor

One of the most important states for MCA, the Selangor state liaison committee has always had a very strong local tilt. The greatest challenge facing Wong, who has hailed from Terengganu, will be to integrate the state.

He said the various Selangor divisions can operate rather independently and thus, his primary mission after taking over the state committee chair will be to step up cooperation among the various divisions and consolidate the grassroots organisations.

He said he would draft a common plan targeting the next general election to allow all the divisions to play their own specific roles.

He said the Selangor chair is a very big challenge for him and an excellent platform to learn.

He said he would meet up with state leaders soon, and would make further arrangements on the state liaison committee line-up only after hearing from grassroots leaders.

"This is the duty the party has entrusted to me, and I'm going to put in my best effort." (By KOK SU CHIN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)