KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Former MCA president Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek released his autobiography titled Like Me or Hate Me: Rising from the Political Ashes today that tells of the senior politician’s rise, fall, and subsequent comeback.

Explaining his choice of title, the 71-year-old Dr Chua said it was because he was known as a blunt and candid speaker throughout his political career spanning at least 30 years.

“In the end, some people got offended by my straightforwardness, but at the same time, some appreciated it, so we have a catchy title now.

“But what is important is that the book is a very truthful statement of my life and political journey,” he told Malay Mail in an interview ahead of today’s launch.

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The 632-page book, available in English and Chinese, traces Dr Chua’s tale from his birth right up to his resignation in 2013, after MCA suffered what was then its worst electoral performance.

This has since been surpassed by the even poorer results of the 14th general election, when the party was reduced to a solitary parliamentary seat.

Written entirely from memory, Dr Chua said it took him over a year to complete the book, which he said he was inspired to pen after Chinese New Year 2016.

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“Just so happened I had too much time to kill, so I thought I might as well write a book after being encouraged by my peers and family members.

“However, I do not claim to be 100 per cent accurate as it was not easy to remember dates especially, so I apologise beforehand if there are any unintentional errors,” he said.

Asked if the book covers his 2008 sex tape scandal, Dr Chua said it does as it was a pivotal moment in his career and could not be avoided due to the massive amount of media coverage that the incident received.

In the scandal, hidden camera footage of his bedroom antics with a “personal friend” were circulated anonymously through DVDs, forcing him to resign all his posts in MCA as well as the government.

Despite the controversy that would have buried most political careers, Dr Chua managed to stage a political comeback, first securing reinstatement in MCA that he then went on to lead after winning the party’s election in 2010.

“I am not a hypocrite or a coward for speaking out. It is my memoir. I went through this life crisis,” he said.