LEAVING Barisan Nasional is not out of the question for one of the coalition’s oldest component parties, MCA, said its former vice-president Gan Ping Sieu today.

“Leaving is one of the options mooted by the grassroots (members) and the reform committee,” he said, but added that the final decision would be up to leaders at the grassroots and national level.

Gan’s remarks come amid news that four Sarawak BN parties would leave the coalition to form Gabungan Parti Sarawak.

Gan, who was a senator and deputy minister in the Najib Razak administration in 2010, said BN needed more political inclusiveness.

“We suggested political reforms in the BN reform committee in 2013. Component parties were not seen to be involved in the political process,” said Gan, who is the Centre for a Better Tomorrow (Cenbet) co-president.

Cenbet presented survey findings that showed 90% of Malaysian wanted reform in the run-up to the 14^th general election.

But Gan said the transformation was not serious enough.

“Unless political transformation is inclusive enough, MCA will always be seen as a liability to Umno and Umno a liability to MCA,” said Gan.

But the lawyer said that MCA is still relevant if it can get its act together.

MCA is due to have its party elections in November. Party president Liow Tiong Lai has said he will not seek re-election after the party’s worst electoral performance.

In GE14, the party contested 39 federal and 90 state seats but could only win one parliamentary seat, Ayer Hitam and two state seats – Titi Tinggi (Perlis) and Cheka (Pahang). – June 12, 2018.