MCA is all geared up for the next general election and is setting their sights on recapturing Selangor from the opposition, party sources said.

After their victories in the Malacca and Johor polls, the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party is now targeting the country’s wealthiest and most populous state.

MCA won two seats – Kelebang and Machap Jaya – in the Malacca polls. Kelebang has 67% Malays, 31% Chinese and 2% Indian voters. Machap Jaya, meanwhile, has a Malay majority of 44%, Chinese (40%) and Indians (14%).

In Johor, MCA won four seats: Yong Peng, Paloh, Pekan Nanas and Bekok.

Yong Peng has the Chinese making up the majority with 59.6%, Malay (33.3%) and Indians (6.75%) while in Paloh, Malays made up the majority with 46.41%, Chinese (37.14%) and Indians 14.97%.

Pekan Nanas was also a Malay-majority seat with (53.36%), Chinese (45.11%) and Indians (1.02%) while in Bekok, the Chinese were the majority with 48.68%, Malays (28.53%), Indians (18.72%) and others (4.07%).

Party sources said that while BN’s main target is to capture the Malay votes, the Chinese votes are equally important.

“Whether BN wins more seats in Selangor will also depend on MCA’s performance,” a source told The Malaysian Insight.

“Similarly, Perikatan Nasional (PN) will also need Gerakan’s assistance to get the state.”

MCA and Gerakan were in the same camp in the past, but now they will be rivals in the next national polls.

MCA will be targeting eight seats – Bangi, Klang, Selayang, Pandan, Petaling Jaya, Damansara and Ampang, with an additional seat in Puchong – and their prospective candidates have been identified.

The source said there are currently seven coordinators for the nine parliamentary seats, while the coordinators for Damansara and Ampang have not yet been decided.

As for state seats, MCA will be contesting in Sekinchan, Kuala Kubu Baharu, Rawang, Kajang, Balakong, Seri Kembangan, Kinrara, Subang Jaya, Kampung Tunku, Bandar Utama, Bandar Baru Klang, Pandamaran, Banting and Sungai Pelek, Bukit Gasing, Teratai and Kota Kemuning.

In the last general election, Gerakan contested one parliamentary and four state seats, namely Puchong, Bukit Gasing, Teratai, Kota Kemuning and Bukit Lanjan.

It is learnt that in the next general election, Gerakan will be increasing their parliamentary seats to four, which are Puchong, Subang, Damansara and Klang.

Gerakan to complete seat allocations

Selangor Gerakan chairman Hong Chin Tat said PN has yet to fully complete seat allocations in Selangor.

“Currently, Gerakan has submitted a list of candidates to the leadership based on the seats they want to contest,” Hong said.

Hong, who is also vice-chairman of Selangor PN, said current seat allocations in Selangor is 22.

“Bersatu will contest nine seats, PAS nine and Gerakan four,” he said.

“PN will also rely on PAS to win more seats in Selangor.”

He believes that in Selangor, only PAS and Umno can win more seats from Pakatan Harapan.

Hong said that Selangor PN may bring in other parties to help wrest the state.

“We think it will not be easy for PN to win Selangor alone, and we still need to rely on PAS to cooperate with Umno in terms of strategy. However, this is my personal suggestion.

“The strength of PAS in Selangor should not be underestimated. If PN and BN face each other head-on, PAS will only split the votes.

“If there are three-cornered fights in Selangor, it will not be able to bring down Pakatan Harapan.”

Hong said Gerakan has appointed four coordinators for the Selangor state seats, namely in Puchong, Subang, Damansara and Klang.

“As for the state seats, we expect to contest in 12 areas.”

He said that Gerakan has four times as many seats in Selangor this time, but it is really difficult to find the right candidates.

Hong said that it is not easy for Gerakan to achieve breakthrough in Selangor, but they are optimistic.

Selangor MCA liaison committee chairman Ng Chok Sin said they have selected 70% of the candidates from their Youth wing to contest.

He said in the last election, Selangor MCA went for 14 state seats and eight parliamentary seats, but believes that their allocation will increase with the final decision from BN.

“Selangor MCA has appointed coordinators for each seat and the coordinators have been actively serving in the constituency.”

“We are hoping to narrow the majority gap and ensure that our election deposits will not be lost again.”

However, he believes that BN must first introduce a “poster boy” to lead Selangor. – August 30, 2022.