MCA could stand under its own banner in the six state elections, its president Wee Ka Siong said today.

The party could also sit out of the polls altogether, he said on the 74th anniversary of MCA, a component of Barisan Nasional

Wee said the party could also ask Barisan Nasional for a few seats to contest.

“From 2008 until now, we experienced more defeats than victories in these six states. Under this circumstance, I would say MCA has no negotiation power at all and we will face a very tough negotiation process,” he said.

“We cannot deny that political negotiation is always based on strength in numbers, and this strength will determine our negotiation power.

“We must admit that MCA is currently very weak in this aspect. Right now, we have no elected representatives at all in all six states,” said Wee, referring to  Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu. The six states are due to hold elections soon.

The former transport minister said MCA would not just have to negotiate with its BN partners but also Pakatan Harapan for seats.

“We must accept the reality that seat allocation is no longer just a discussion within BN but also a negotiation with PH.”

BN and Pakatan Harapan are coalition government partners.

“This will certainly involve more complicated factors and lead to more unexpected results,” said Wee.

He added that MCA has little barganing power, having only two MPs and “just a handful” of assemblymen in Johor, Malacca, and Perak. – March 4, 2023.