DESPITE the odds stacked against MCA, the party is not worried about losing seats or support following the signing of the Umno-PAS charter, said Ti Lian Ker.

“Although we have suffered collateral damage (in the 14th general election), we continue to believe that the way forward is with cooperation, tolerance, and mutual respect and understanding,” the MCA vice-president told The Malaysian Insight.

Ti, who has restarted the party’s think-tank, Insap, believes that Chinese votes will return to MCA due to DAP’s inability to “walk the talk”.

“Voters have realised that DAP is well-represented, but underperforming. MCA has nothing to fear.

“The truth will prevail, and we hope to get better support from the Chinese community in order to check against extremism in an amicable and acceptable manner,” said the lawyer from Pahang.

The last elections saw new MCA president Dr Wee Ka Siong as the party’s sole survivor in Parliament, beating DAP’s Liew Chin Tong for the Ayer Hitam seat.

Barisan Nasional’s Chinese component holds one state seat each in Perlis (Titi Tinggi) and Pahang (Cheka).

MCA recorded its worst-ever electoral performance in GE14, winning just one of the 37 federal seats and two of the 90 state seats it contested. Then president Liow Tiong Lai decided not to defend his post following the disastrous results.

The party’s best showing was in the 2004 polls, where it won 31 federal seats. It has lost seats in each successive general election – 15 in 2008 and seven in 2013.

In the run-up to GE14, MCA was seen as helpless, and even complicit in several issues, including the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, corruption and power abuse, and Umno’s dominance in BN.

On the Umno-PAS tie-up, Ti said it is common for opposition outfits to work together, and for parties to still be identified by race and religion.

“While DAP has tried to project a multiracial facade, they are, in reality, a Chinese party.

“As for cooperation with PAS, DAP has done that. In fact, DAP set the precedent that in politics, there’s no barrier,” he said, referring to the former Pakatan Rakyat coalition of PKR, PAS and DAP between 2008 and 2015.

He said MCA wants to continue engaging Umno and PAS, and remind them to be mindful of the spirit of the federal constitution.

However, he declined to speculate if the Malay parties’ pact will benefit MCA.

Dim prospects

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Dr Lau Zhe Wei does not believe that the Umno-PAS union will benefit MCA or BN’s Indian component, MIC.

“With more ethnic and religious issues, such as Zakir Naik, khat, boycott of non-Muslim products… MCA and MIC will find it difficult to get votes from their communities, more so, because some of these issues are perpetuated by either Umno or PAS.

“It’s already tough for MCA as it is now, what more with the Umno-PAS ‘marriage’,” said the academic who specialises in Chinese politics.

Merdeka Centre manager Tan Seng Keat said MCA may be on the losing end of the BN-PAS seat distribution.

“Six of the seven seats won by MCA in 2013 were Malay-majority seats – Tebrau, Ayer Hitam, Tanjung Malim, Alor Star, Bentong and Tanjung Piai. In 2018, MCA was only able to defend Ayer Hitam.

“With the signing of their pact on Saturday, Umno and PAS will want to maximise their chances by taking all the Malay-majority seats. So, what’s left will be the mixed and non-Malay seats, which neither MCA nor MIC seems capable of winning.”

He pointed to the PAS-led Gagasan Sejahtera’s move to field non-Malay candidates in mixed seats in the last elections.

“All of them lost their deposits.”

Lau, meanwhile, said seats are distributed based on “winnability”, and there is a strong possibility that MCA will not get Malay-majority ones.

“But I believe that Ayer Hitam will remain with Wee, and perhaps, some high-ranking leader’s seat. The seats that will be taken away will be the ones MCA lost.

“There’s nothing wrong with giving away seats that MCA can’t win to Umno and PAS, as long as the BN-PAS coalition wins elections. It’s just that MCA will find it hard to make meaningful contributions in the eyes of Chinese voters.

“In the 2008 and 2013 elections, MCA lost badly, but the benefits allocated to them remained, as they still became ministers, deputy ministers, etc.

“As long as BN wins, MCA will benefit. But if BN doesn’t, then nobody wins.”

It appears that MCA may have to bank on Umno and PAS to do the heavy lifting in GE15, he added. – September 17, 2019.