KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Sacking a party veteran just for inviting a political foe to his book launch is “laughable” even for MCA, its former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said today in the wake of Datuk Lee Hwa Beng’s expulsion.

Ong, who helmed the Chinese party from October 2008 to March 2010, suggested that the purported reason for booting out Lee was too weak and unjustifiable as the MCA’s constitution did not provide for such action even on ostensibly disciplinary grounds.

He added that he had faced similar discrimination from party members in the run-up to Malaysia’s 13^th general elections (GE) for being seen in the company of DAP adviser, Lim Kit Siang.

“In the case of the invitation of Kit Siang, I was given to understand that in fact the host had made the arrangement,” Ong told The Malay Mail Online when contacted.

Ong, who was formerly Pandan MP, had attended the launch of Lee’s whistleblowing book on the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, titled “PKFZ: A Nation’s Trust Betrayed” last year—an event that was also attended by DAP lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.

He pointed out that the event was organised by The Malaysian Insider, which was the publisher and that he was invited by Lee to attend the launch as well.

“There is no reason why such an invitation should be exploited as a political tool especially in the run up to the general election, in my case it was before the GE and in Hwa Beng’s case, it was much later after the election.

“It is simply laughable,” Ong said.

Widely seen to be a party maverick, Ong had been the transport minister who ordered an independent report into the port scandal in 2009.

The scandal has plagued MCA and another former president, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, who was also a transport minister.

Dr Ling has been charged in court with three counts of cheating the government over the port exapnsion project.

The High Court is to deliver its verdict on Dr Ling on October 25.

Today, Ong said he was reminded of his own experience, when the book launch was made the reason for being disloyal to the party.

“To me, in a few occasions, I was spotted by some individuals with the party, seen as having lunch or a drink with a DAP personality that also became an issue, there was rumours going around that I was going to join Pakatan Rakyat,” he said, referring to the three-party opposition bloc comprising the DAP, PKR and PAS.

“As you know I was the party president before, and there was no such written rule in the party constitution or code of conduct for the members, that no one should ever be allowed to be seen as having meals or socialising with people from an opposition party,” he said.

When asked about how he thinks this recent move will affect MCA’s credibility, he declined to comment.

“I reserve my further comments for the time being because I have yet to know more details about this particular case,” Ong said.