THE TEMASEK REVIEW

By Tay Tian Yan from Sin Chew Daily

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat indeed had some tough stomach problems.

Everyone cares about Ong, and it is therefore natural that everyone should also care about his stomach.

According to witnesses, Ong’s stomach was still offering its dutiful services to the master in the afternoon, without the slightest hint of an imminent protest or revolt.

Only a lapse of several hours, it was said that Ong suffered some stomach upset and had to be admitted into a hospital!

That was when the real headache came.

The three factions of MCA had fixed the time to meet the deputy prime minister to talk about fresh polls for the party, with the entire nation waiting nervously for the outcome.

Ong’s stomach problems crushed the whole plan.

The original plan of striking an accord within one week, latest by Dec 1, was put on hold, and the meeting did not come out with any substantial conclusion.

Gastrointestinal problems are no novelty, but the incident couldn’t have possibly come at a worse time than such a crucial moment.

Perhaps Ong should make a bet on a lottery ticket!

Of course, no one can accurately point out when a gastric episode will take place, and it does not need to give a reason for selecting such a bad timing.

As such, no one should point the finger at Ong’s stomach and haggle over it.

The weird thing is: the gastric problem warranted admission into a hospital!

This mustn’t be any ordinary gastric distension, which could have been dispelled with a little bottle of medicated ointment, and he could have sat past the entire meeting.

Even if he were to let out some gas half way through the meeting, he wouldn’t be excessively embarrassed so long as the DPM’s residence was adequately ventilated.

Since it wasn’t just gastric distension, it could have been something much more serious, such as GIT infection or GIT depression, which has a direct correlation to the patient’s psychological health.

People would generally feel that Ong had worked so hard leading the national delegation to Britain while those in his party did not seem to understand him that well, resulting in his depressed moods. This, coupled with the intake of inflight meals, has brought about the gastric upset.

Since Ong has often suffered stomach problems because of the country and the party, by right the public should show some sympathy for him.

Unfortunately, when the public learned of his latest gastric attack, they put on some bizarre smiles on their faces.

More weirdly, when the MCA-owned The Star carried the news that Ong was admitted into a hospital, he was said to have possibly down with some “stomach problems.”

Note should be taken that the English daily had put a pair of open and close inverted commas around the words “stomach problems” in its news report!

The use of inverted commas often denotes “something else” such as: Khoo Kay Kim has made “excellent contributions” towards Chinese education in this country, which should not be seen as a compliment.

But, are you trying to tell me that even MCA’s mouthpiece was as suspicious of Ong’s stomach problems as anyone else?

When asked about what had happened to Ong, his comrade Ng Yen Yen told the reporters: You should know better than I.

While Ng believed that Ong could be discharged very soon, not many are patient enough to wait for him.

The prime minister has said he would announce the new MCA solution the moment his touches down on the Malaysian soil again.

No one knows whether Ong’s stomach can take it then. – mysinchew.com

Republished from Sin Chew Daily on 2 December 2009

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