He burst into the political limelight in the November 1999 general election when he called himself the "hunter" who would track down "Tiger of Jelutong" Karpal Singh in the opposition stronghold. True enough, Datuk Lee Kah Choon won, and was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Health Ministry. But after the March 2008 general election, he stunned Gerakan and Barisan Nasional when he accepted the new Pakatan Rakyat government’s offer to become InvestPenang executive chairman and Penang Development Corporation director. The subsequent furore led to his resignation from Gerakan. He was then deputy secretary-general. Lee, 48, shares with Himanshu Bhatt the tumult and transitions he has faced in his career.

Datuk Ong Tee Keat is well-tested, surviving even the March 8 political tsunami. The MCA vice-president won by 2,961 votes compared with 14,112 in 2004 - in Pandan Jaya, a parliamentary constituency comprising 49% Malays and 45% Chinese. His Barisan Nasional colleagues in the Chempaka and Teratai state seats lost to PAS and DAP respectively. The 52-year-old trilingual orator is about to be tested again when he contests the the president's post in the MCA central elections in October. The trained mechanical engineer spoke about his political future and the MCA to NG KEE SENG and GIAM SAY KHOON.