Metro

Friday May 10, 2013

GE13: Former Kampar MP bids adieu to his constituents and nearly 40 local MCA leaders resign

By ELWEEN LOKE
elween@thestar.com.my
Photos by SAIFUL BAHRI


<b>Emotional goodbyes:</b> Lee (in striped shirt) met with his supporters and constituents recently at the Kampar MCA division office to thank them for the support he received from them during his term as MP. –SAIFUL BAHRI/The Star Emotional goodbyes: Lee (in striped shirt) met with his supporters and constituents recently at the Kampar MCA division office to thank them for the support he received from them during his term as MP. –SAIFUL BAHRI/The Star

IT WAS just like any other day at the Kampar MCA service centre on Jalan Masjid in Kampar old town on Wednesday - crowded with folks from the Kampar parliamentary constituency.

But they were not there to seek assistance but rather to bid adieu to former Kampar MP Datuk Lee Chee Leong and his service team.

In the evening, Lee held a farewell dinner in front of the centre to thank the hundreds of residents who had supported him over the years.

In his speech, he said he was grateful to those who had been his loyal friends.

“I appreciate the friendship I have forged with all of you.

“It was a pleasure for me to serve the people of Kampar in the last five years,” he said.

Lee, who was also former Deputy Home Minister, lost to DAP’s Dr Ko Chung Sen in the recent general election by a 5,400-vote majority.

The supporters also took turns to say goodbye to Lee’s former personal assistant Daniel Wa and former Keranji Barisan Nasional coordinator Chang Gwo Chyang.

<b>Resigned:</b> Kampar MCA division members who had relinquished their governmental posts, ranging from village chiefs, hospital visitation panel to Kampar district councillors, showing their resignation letters. Resigned: Kampar MCA division members who had relinquished their governmental posts, ranging from village chiefs, hospital visitation panel to Kampar district councillors, showing their resignation letters.

Wa and Chang had contested for the Keranji and Malim Nawar state seats respectively but failed to garner majority support from voters.

Earlier, 35 leaders from the Kampar MCA division had signed their resignation letters to relinquish their respective posts, which ranged from village chiefs and Kampar district councillors to members of the hospital visitation panel.

Division secretary Lau Lin Sea said the division had heeded the call by the party’s central committee for party members not to hold on to any government posts should the results of the general election be worse than that of 2008.

“The letters would be submitted to the state liaison committee and later sent to the central committee before being submitted to the respective government departments and agencies.

“The service centre, which had been in operation since 2006 and reached out to about 50 people daily, would be closed temporarily,” she said.

She said Lee’s service counter, which was opened near the Kampar wet market every Friday morning, would also not be available for the time being.

Among those who had resigned was Kampar district councillor Ching Suet Ling, who had been monitoring the garbage collection schedule since the council had privatised the project.

“I used to forward complaints or any positive feedback from the residents to the council.

“Now that I am no longer a councillor, I will have no power to perform such duties.

<b>Final words:</b> Accompanied by Wa (left) and Chang (second from left), Lee (speaking from hailer) makes his farewell speech to Kampar folk. Final words: Accompanied by Wa (left) and Chang (second from left), Lee (speaking from hailer) makes his farewell speech to Kampar folk.

“I hope someone would carry on with the job,” she said.

Kampung Baru Jeram village committee secretary Wong Muk Ching said it had been a pleasure serving the people in the new village.

One of the achievements he was proud of was helping farmers obtain land lease titles from the State Agriculture Development Corpora-tion.

In Gopeng, its division chief Albert Chang had also announced the mass resignation of about 40 local MCA leaders on the same day.

“We have closed our service centre and will wait for further instructions from the party’s central committee,” he said.

Later that night, he treated the leaders to a dinner to appreciate their years of dedicated services in Gopeng.

It was reported that leaders in Batu Gajah, Taiping and Lumut MCA divisions had also, earlier in the week, relinquished their politically appointed positions.

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