MCA is ready to fly solo if it decides to dump the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, a party leader said.

However the party which has been in the coalition since 1973 would prefer to find fellow moderate allies or those that share its political ideologies, said Chan Quin Er, who is a MCA central committee member.

Chan, a defeated candidate for the Seputeh parliamentary seat in the last general election, was responding to questions on party president Wee Ka Siong’s statement at the party’s 70th annual general meeting earlier this month.

Wee had said MCA was ready to go solo should BN component parties form new partnerships and abandon its current coalition members.

This was largely seen as a message sent to Umno which has been acting unilaterally on matters involving the BN. Umno is also forging closer ties with DAP, a party which has long been MCA’s arch rival.

Chan said Wee had explained to the delegates the situation the party is in now, the challenges it faces and the options it could take to stay relevant.

She said for MCA, it is imperative for BN member parties to work together to revive the coalition that has been on a downward slide since the 2018 general election.

“The interests of the coalition should take top priority,” she added.

Chan said MCA would not hesitate to ditch BN if its members decide to form partnerships elsewhere.

This 74 year-old party was a member of the Alliance – the forerunner of BN – from 1952 to 1973.

Chan said the changing political landscape in the country meant parties like MCA have to be prepared to meet change.

“The change in the political landscape does not provide us with too many choices,” she said.

“MCA must be prepared for any change or challenge that may arise in the evolving political situation.”

She said Wee outlined the situation the party is in now and what direction it would take if it abandons the BN to conference delegates.

Wee’s threat to abandon BN has met with some support.

The party’s Alor Setar division chairman Tan Chee Hiong said he supports any move to detach from BN.

“MCA was originally an independent political party. So the president’s statement does not pose any issue,” he said.

Wee at the conference had said in his policy address that MCA was prepared to start from scratch.

He also said the most important thing is for the party to stand firm on its position as a political party and not regress to a welfare organisation.

“As a founding political party, MCA cannot accept a fate of forever depending on others,” he had said.

He also called on party members to be guided by BN’s perspective and prioritise the interests of the coalition in preparing for the upcoming elections.

MCA’s fortunes have been on the decline in the past several general elections. In the GE, the party only won two parliamentary seats.

Although BN is part of the unity government, MCA is not part of Anwar Ibrahim’s cabinet. Its leaders have also not been considered for government positions. 

Party leaders had also expressed their disappointment when Umno did not consult them in seat talks with Pakatan Harapan in the six-state polls in August. Eventually MCA sat out of the state elections with only Umno contesting in all BN seats. – October 29, 2023.