Perak MCA chief Ong Ka Chuan has been criticised for defending an Ipoh City Council (MBI) councillor for operating a factory without a license.

Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran claimed that Ong was trying to divert the public's attention from the real issue.

"There is no doubt (councillor) Lim (Huey Shan) committed the offence. By virtue of Ong saying it is not serious, he's diverting (the public) from the thrust of the matter," said the DAP leader when contacted today.

Lim, 31, is the major shareholder of a plastic-moulding factory which has been operating without a premise license. He is also the Ipoh Barat MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau head.

According to a report in the Star today, Ong described it as a "a technical error and not a moral issue".

Ong, who is also MCA secretary-general, said the party would not hesitate to remove Lim from his post if he had committed a 'catastrophic mistake'.

However, Kulasegaran pointed out that Ong failed to see that the matter at hand was not about the seriousness of the offence.

"It's not about the degree of seriousness of the offence but the person who is a council legislator breaching the law he is suppose to uphold," he explained.

Suspend him

Meanwhile, the New Straits Times quoted Ong as saying that Lim's business was run by his uncle Cheong Siew Jian and another relative Tan Hooi Leng.

He also said the company was still waiting for its premise licence.

On July 19 last year, the company was fined by MBI for operating without a premise license.

The fine was paid and two months later an application was submitted for the license.

As for why the factory did not apply for a license earlier, Ong said Tan had thought there was no need for it.

Asked to comment on this, Kulasegaran said: "I have seen Lim's calling card and it states that he's the executive director of Marvellous Sdn Bhd (the business).

"The executive director controls and conducts all the day to day running of the business. He's clearly trying to wriggle his way out of this," he claimed.

He insisted that Lim should be suspended pending investigations because he was still receiving his allowances despite breaching a council law.

"Why is he being allowed to act as though he is above the law?" he asked.

Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali has asked Perak MCA to submit a detailed report on the matter.

Tajol Rosli said he would personally study the case to determine if further action needed to be taken against the councillor.