SEAT negotiations for six state elections will be concluded by parties in the unity government by mid-April, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said.

He said the matter was discussed at the unity government secretariat’s second meeting last week.

“We discussed seat distribution, and it will be finalised by mid-April. The negotiation process is ongoing and will continue until April.

“We will wait until the negotiations are over because it doesn’t just involve the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Now it is more complex as it involves a grand coalition.

“We have BN and we have Pakatan Harapan (PH), so we have to discuss it amicably to show that we are indeed a unity government,” Wee told a press conference today in Perak.

Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu must hold their elections this year as the terms of their legislative assemblies will expire automatically by the second half of 2023.

Last month, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said he met with his Penang, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu counterparts to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the Conference of Rulers. 

“We reached an accord to consider dissolving our respective assemblies in the final two weeks of June 2023,” he was quoted as saying.

Wee said BN’s strategy for the state polls will be slightly different compared with during the last general election. 

He said the unity government is a game changer. 

“Since the establishment of the unity government, all political games have been different.

“The scenario is no longer the same as before, when we only needed to discuss things among BN component parties. It’s more complex now. The spirit of the unity government must be reflected in the six state elections,” he said. – March 26, 2023.