MELAKA: The dispute within Barisan Nasional (BN) over MCA's refusal to recognise party candidates allegedly announced without the consent of its top leadership will be resolved through negotiations.
BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said party leaders, candidates and their supporters had nothing to worry about.
"Don't worry. In the spirit of BN, when we have a problem, we look for a solution. Don't worry," he told reporters after officiating the KPT-UTeM Prihatin @Melaka 2026 programme here tonight.
Also present were state Tourism, Heritage, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman, UTeM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Massila Kamalrudin and deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Prof Madya Datuk Dr Sabri Mohamad Sharif.
Zambry said he had to return to Kuala Lumpur to chair an important meeting but declined to disclose further details.
MCA had earlier said it would not recognise any of its candidates announced by BN for the 16th Melaka state election without the party's top leadership's consent.
Its president, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, reportedly said announcing candidates without consultation and MCA's approval was unacceptable. He also claimed that seats previously contested by MCA had been allocated to other parties.
The development has raised questions over the status of two MCA incumbents announced as BN candidates on Saturday night — Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem for the Machap Jaya state seat and Datuk Lim Ban Hong for Klebang.
In the 2021 Melaka state election, MCA contested seven state seats — Bemban, Machap Jaya, Klebang, Ayer Keroh, Kesidang, Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir.
The party won only two seats, Machap Jaya and Klebang.
Meanwhile, commenting on the programme, Zambry said it was part of the university's ongoing community outreach efforts and was not organised solely during election periods.
The programme, organised by UTeM's Student Affairs and Alumni Department in collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry, UTeM Holdings and Yayasan Perkasa Siswa, involved 40 senior university officers, 30 Student Affairs and Alumni Department staff members, 120 student volunteers and 300 villagers.
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