MCA may be cosying up to PH, says analyst
SUNGAI PETANI: MCA’s call for Barisan Nasional to be dissolved signals the party’s interest in joining Pakatan Harapan.
Political analyst Associate Professor Dr Rusdi Omar said MCA could not be on its own and had to join other parties or form a new coalition to survive.
“In the current political landscape, it’s hard for them to be on their own. They need to find a strong alliance and I will not be surprised if they join PH or even decide to cosy up to them.
“It’s just that they can no longer call the shots (if they join a new pact), unlike when they were with BN, which allowed them to make demands. In PH, DAP is the dominant party,” he told the New Straits Times Press yesterday.
It was reported that the MCA Central Committee, during the 65th MCA general assembly last Sunday, said it was ready to begin the process of dissolving BN and forming a new alliance.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong was quoted as saying that the party would begin the process by submitting a proposal on the resolution of the dissolution.
Rusdi said MCA’s survival in the opposition was shaky as they had only one seat in Parliament, with most non-Malays supporting PH.
“This is the case not only for MCA. Gerakan may even join PH.
“If they are in the opposition, only Umno and Pas are strong because they have many seats (in Parliament) as well as strong Malay support.
“Besides, MCA has seen how much Umno and Pas are protecting the interests of the Malays, which undermines the support of non Malay voters for MCA.”
He said MCA had assessed their strength when they decided to use their own logo in the by-election, which saw them being rejected by the people.
“The question of whether they are accepted or not depends on the PH leadership, but it is not a surprise if MCA is welcomed because PH always opens its door to opposition leaders.
“It is not impossible for DAP, MCA and Gerakan to form an alliance to face Umno and Pas, which are getting the support of the Malays.”
He said if MCA did not intend to leave BN, their move could signal an intention to rebrand their coalition with Umno after acknowledging that the name BN was no longer relevant.
“It is possible that following BN’s defeat in the general election, the name is no longer regarded as lucky according to the Chinese and because of that, it needs to be dissolved and changed.”