MCA has demanded fresh negotiations within Barisan Nasional (BN) over Melaka seat allocations after walking out of the coalition’s candidate announcement, saying the move was made before discussions with the party were finalised.
MCA vice-president Datuk Lawrence Low Ah Keong said the party wanted to defend the two seats it won in the 2021 state election and contest two additional traditional constituencies, but its proposals had not been adequately considered.
He said MCA leaders had understood that the event at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) on Saturday was to launch BN’s election machinery, only to find that candidates were being announced without the party’s agreement.
“We are dissatisfied because we were only informed that the event was about launching the election machinery, but candidates were suddenly announced when, according to our understanding, discussions on the candidates had not been finalised,” he told Utusan Malaysia.
“MCA therefore wants discussions at BN level so that our aspirations and views are considered and taken seriously before the election.”
MCA president Dr Wee Ka Siong led the party’s leaders in leaving the event, after which MCA decided not to recognise any of the candidates announced by BN.
Lawrence said MCA had seven traditional seats in Melaka, although one had been handed over to Umno, while the party secured two seats in the 2021 election.
He acknowledged that seat allocations would have to accommodate other parties involved in electoral cooperation, but maintained that MCA’s request to retain its two elected seats and contest two more traditional constituencies should be considered.
Lawrence also questioned how BN could determine MCA’s candidates when Wee had yet to submit the party’s list of nominees.
“How would they know whether MCA wanted to retain its existing candidates or propose new names?” he said.
Meanwhile, MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong said the party must insist on a meaningful role within BN rather than merely endorse decisions made by its coalition partners.
He said decisions on seat allocations should be reached through consensus, as they affected MCA’s political standing and efforts to rebuild support among the Chinese community.
“MCA must stand firm. We cannot simply be a party that completes the numbers or blindly agrees with everything, because we want to regain the confidence of the Chinese community,” he said.
Neow argued that a stronger MCA would also benefit BN and urged Umno to consider the party’s longer-term survival rather than treating the dispute as merely a question of seat distribution.
He called for both parties to be given sufficient time to discuss the disagreement before deciding on their next course of action. - October 26, 2026