KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Thursday, March 18 denied his involvement in the upcoming MCA election.

He was commenting on a circulating SMS stating that former MCA president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting was contesting the presidency in the MCA fresh polls on March 28 because he had the blessings from the prime minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

It was reported that many MCA delegates had received the SMS since two days ago.

“I don’t know who is behind all these SMSes. I’m not involved in this MCA election,” he told reporters after the launch of an Audi Showroom here yesterday.

“I want to be clear on this matter, that whoever would be the leader of MCA later is chosen by its members in the election,” he added.

Asked about who might have circulated the SMS, Najib said: “It is not necessarily from Ka Ting, it could be a reverse psychology. Anything is possible.”

“I did ask Ka Ting and he said no. It’s a bit of mystery where it comes from,” he said.

Early this month, former MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek and seven other central committee (CC) members tendered their resignations bringing about 21 resignations that triggered the threshold for fresh polls.

Last December, vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had led a group of 13 elected CC members to submit undated resignation letters to the party secretary-general to push for new polls.