BARISAN Nasional’s rebranding exercise and Umno’s working relationship with PAS have become party election campaign fodder for rival factions in MCA.

In one corner, Gan Ping Sieu and Tee Siew Kong, who are running for the MCA party president and deputy president posts respectively, have fired darts at the present leadership over their subservient attitude towards BN and Umno.

And, at the other end, current deputy president Wee Ka Siong, who has the blessing of outgoing president Liow Tiong Lai for the top post, is showing himself to be a strong leader by warning that he would take MCA out of BN if Umno joins hand with PAS.

Gan and Tee, in a joint statement today, called on Liow and Wee to state whether they were consulted on Umno’s decision to rebrand BN.

They said MCA, under the duo, had not dared to leave the Umno-dominated BN, despite suffering in silence as insults were hurled at them in the past.

“Liow even holds the view that leaving BN is an act of self-denigration and disloyalty.”

They further accused Liow and Wee of being oblivious to Umno’s position as a right-wing party and of them working with PAS.

“The duo has not made a clear stand or responsed to this. Now that PAS is going to be part of BN, did they have a hand in its admission or were they kept in the dark again?” the statement read.

Yesterday, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said BN would be rebranded with a new name, ahead of its efforts to retake Putrajaya in the next election.

Zahid said the new BN would include its remaining partners and civil society groups. He had also expressed hope that PAS would continue to be a political partner.

The challengers also asked if Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz’s appointment as BN secretary-general was agreed upon by MCA.

“Did they (Liow and Wee) object to his appointment as BN secretary-general? Or did they have to be subservient and stomach Umno’s decision, like before?” they said.

Outgoing party deputy president Wee, who is also the party’s sole MP, meanwhile, warned that Umno could not unilaterally make decisions on behalf of BN to work with PAS.

He said it would be meaningless for MCA to continue to work with BN if they had different principles.

“The fate of BN does not lie in Umno’s hands alone. If they cannot commit to mutual respect for their coalition partners, as is expected, and instead, proceed to partner with PAS without prior discussions with MCA, then MCA will not hesitate to cut ties with Umno,” Wee said in a statement.

BN, which suffered an embarrassing defeat in the 14th general election, has been left with only four component parties – Umno, MCA, MIC and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah. It had 13 partners before GE14. – October 28, 2018.