MCA will not rally grassroots support for DAP in the Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB) by-election campaign, an insider said.

The source, who is a senior party member, said this was because of the acrimony between the two parties, which he said was recently made worse by DAP.

After years of rivalry, MCA and DAP are now so-called allies in the unity government.

“Initially, our grassroots wanted MCA to contest for KKB but Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that parties from the coalition will not run for the state seat,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. 

“And then recently, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said in a podcast that MCA is a ‘parti tauke’ (party of businessmen or bosses) and that he didn’t like us. 

“The remarks didn’t go down well among our grassroots. It hurt the feelings of the party and its members,” the source added. 

Loke, who is the transport minister, was on the Keluar Sekejap podcast when he was asked about DAP’s relationship with MCA.

The Seremban lawmaker said he did not despise BN but he disliked MCA. 

He called the second largest BN component party a “parti tauke”. 

The source said those comments were uncalled for at such a crucial time.

“DAP and its leaders need to understand that every vote counts if they want to ensure victory. 

“But this is the attitude they have and hence we won’t be urging our grassroots to support them,” the source added. 

In response to Loke’s remarks, MCA president Wee Ka Siong had said that the “parti tauke” label did not reflect the party’s legacy of serving the interests of the people since before independence.

He said MCA began as a party that fought for people of every strata of society and that it has continued to do so even though it was set up by a group of business leaders. 

The KKB seat in Selangor fell vacant following the death of its three-term DAP assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong on March 21 after a battle with cancer. The seat was an MCA stronghold until 2013.

Polling day is on May 11. Nomination is on April 27 and early voting, May 7.

The KKB constituency has a mixed electorate of 50% Malays, 30% Chinese and 18% Indians. There are more than 40,000 registered voters on the electoral roll. – April 18, 2024.