BARISAN Nasional (BN) components MIC and MCA may not have a say in the negotiations for seats in the coming state elections, political observers said.

They said the two unpopular parties may not get what they want as the competition for seats has grown now that Pakatan Harapan (PH) is partnered with BN in the unity government.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said the Chinese and Indian parties are nothing without the support of Umno.

“Where would they go? They have no choice but to stick with BN and work with PH.

“If they decide to go solo, I don’t think they stand a great chance of winning,” the senior lecturer told The Malaysian Insight.

MCA and MIC will not fit into Perikatan Nasional (PN), which is Malay-centric, he said.

Mazlan advised the two parties to stay put even if they are not assigned the seats they want in the state polls.

Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu must hold elections by September.

International Islamic University of Malaysia’s Tunku Mohar Tunku Mohd Mokhtar said MCA and MIC lacked bargaining power because they are weak.

“They must find strategies to gain support and prove that they can win seats,” the political science assistant professor said.

Tunku Mohar said MCA and MIC must support whoever BN chooses to align with.

University of Tasmania’s Asian Studies professor James Chin said MCA and MIC’s fate depended on Umno, the strongest party in BN.

“In the past, many Malay-majority seats were assigned to MIC or MCA so that they could win.

“If MCA and MIC are to get any seats at all, it will have to be negotiated on their behalf by Umno or Umno would have to give them some of its seats,” he said.

In 2022, MCA ran for 44 federal seats but won only two – Ayer Hitam and Tanjung Piai. MIC won one – Tapah – out of the 10 seats it contested.

State leaders are expected to meet this week to fix a suitable date to dissolve the assemblies.  

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari is organising the meeting. – February 22, 2023.