KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat regrets not having read the book, The Unwritten Rules of Officialdom earlier despite having bought it in 2006.
“I only came to read this book much later after I bought it in Hong Kong in 2006.
“If I had read this book earlier, the development of what is happening now (referring to the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) controversy) would be different,” he said.
Ong said reading the book gave him a better insight into some of the behaviour of politicians and administrators.
Quick read: Ong touring the bookfest with C. N. Chou, Popular Holdings Limited chairman and managing director (left) and Lim Lee Ngoh, Popular Book Co. executive director.“So, if I had read it earlier, I would have been better prepared for the onslaught,” he said.
However, Ong, who is also the Transport Minister, stressed that he had no regret with the way he had dealt with the PKFZ issue.
He was sharing with the media after launching the BookFest @ Malaysia 2009 here yesterday about the book that he was currently reading, which is by Chinese author Wu Si.
The book is about the rules of governance in ancient China.
Ong said the baseless allegations and the various efforts to topple him were only carried out because of the high positions he was holding.
He said people were only interested in such personal attacks bec-ause he was still the office bearer.
“I realise that all sorts of lies and endeavour to demonise me or the hurdles, could be related to the positions I am holding.
“If I am no longer holding these posts, I don’t think all this will last. What these people really want is the seat (the position) I am holding,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Ong said the BookFest had evolved from an exhibition of Chinese books and materials to one that was multi-lingual over the years.
“Previously, it was found that Malaysians read only two pages of book each year but the growing number of crowds coming to the event show that more people are enjoying reading,” he said.
He said reading was no longer a hobby that one enjoyed individually but had become a group activity, involving those with similar interests.
