PKFZ case far from over: Ong

EXCLUSIVE Ong Tee Keat, the man who exposed the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, believes the case is far from over.

Despite the arrest and impending trial of former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang and three others in relation to the scandal, the former transport minister remains convinced there is more left to be uncovered.

Ong (right), who was dropped from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's cabinet in a recent reshuffle, stressed that he has first hand information on those implicated in the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report on the scandal, but declined to go into detail.

"Given the benefit of my position as a minister, certainly I know several more names mentioned in the report," he said in a Malaysiakini exclusive interview.

"It is not appropriate for me to announce these names because investigations may still be ongoing. I cannot be sure whether or not those implicated (in the report) are being investigated or not."

Ong, who was also ousted as MCA president at the party's March polls, said the investigating authorities are taking too long to update on their progress, and the public is getting tired of waiting.

Speaking in riddles

Predictably, the enigmatic speaker in his usual fashion stayed on the safe route, without committing himself to either side of the PKFZ debacle which is estimated ton have cost RM12 billion in public funds.

Ong did question whether or not the government-appointed 11-member special task force to investigate the scandal, has come up with a report.

"I'm not sure if there is such a report by now... it has now gone way beyond six months (since investigations started). But it is at their discretion (to release the report).

"What the people want to see is what's next. Other than to see justice, they also want to know what happens to the public funds, what action would be taken if there actually are fraudulent claims... these are all frequently asked questions," he said.

Fighting cynicism and intimidation

Ong said his decision to expose the PKFZ scandal was riddled with "insurmountable stumbling blocks", having to have to wade through a quagmire of bureaucracy and dead ends.

And eventually mountains of documents that he had to go through before he could make sense of it all.

Throughout his active pursuit of the truth, he said he faced endless opposition and cynicism from everyone around him. The opposition called his actions a charade, while he also jeopardised his MCA presidency.

"I know I was risking my party position.

"I don't deny (in my exposure of the scandal) I could have hurt the feelings and interests of certain individuals within the party, but I had to make a hard decision... true enough I have been ousted from the presidency."

Ong admitted he faced intimidation while digging up information on the scandal, but declined to elaborate.

"It is not my practice to cry foul openly... since my younger days, I have never been a crybaby," he said.

Ong also said he knew that "certain quarters" celebrated each time he hit a brick wall in his pursuit on PKFZ. The first was when MCA's Oct 10, 2009 extraordinary general meeting passed a motion of no confidence on him, followed by his loss of party presidency and his removal as transport minister.

"When I was defeated, I was told there were celebrations by certain quarters. I could understand the three episodes gave them reason to celebrate, but I view it with a smile. To me, whether or not they celebrate, that is their choice," he said.

Family matters

For Ong, the biggest loss was that of quality time with friends and family.

"I really had to forgo many things, including my family time. It (the scandal) impacted on my public appearances. I had to cut down my socialising with friends without telling them the real reasons that I could not join them.

"I spent a good six months, right up to after Chinese New Year (in 2009) doing this every day (sifting through the PKFZ documents), rain or shine, from 11pm to 3am," he said.

When asked if it was all worth the effort, considering the lack of progress in the protracted issue, the usually stoic Ong was clearly pained.

"I can't say I have lost confidence in the system, because I soldiered on irrespective of whether or not I would lose everything.

"But I am deeply saddened, not by my personal loss especially on the RM10 million allegations, but by the current state of affairs, because I really have high hopes on politics of integrity and transparency in our system.

"Even if we have yet to achieve that, there must be a serious commitment to it," he said.

Tomorrow: MCA must make a clear stand