EVERY now and then, the questions of “What’s now?” and “What’s next for MCA?” seem to pop up in the media and political sphere.
But in the social media realm, MCA seems to have been “written off” or deemed “irrelevant”. Such is the perception in all the social media comments planted by cybertroopers of a certain party.
The truth is that the concern is not about MCA but more so about the future of Malaysian Chinese in a political ecosystem that is slowly marginalising them after the 14th general Election (GE14) when the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expanded the voter base through Undi18.
This is given that the numbers or ratio of the Malay voter base increases further vis-à-vis the Chinese votes.
Moreover, the recent GE15 shows a paradigm shift of voters voting for PAS with the biggest number of 43 MPs and DAP as the second largest with 40 MPs to be the biggest party in the Madani government.
Despite DAP being backed by 90% of Chinese voters, further political rewards did not come their way in view of the urgency to buy in Malay votes to sustain the rule of the Madani administration.
The reality of buying in Malay votes to strengthen the core and lay a solid political foundation is both a necessity and a reality in Malaysian politics today, especially after the demographic vote base change of Undi18.
Malay dominance
Many, including the media, are interested to see how long Barisan Nasional (BN) is able to stand or remain intact now that UMNO is warming up and getting cosier by the day with DAP.
At one hand, leaving BN now is akin to abandoning a sinking ship and destroying the political legacy founded by our nation’s founding fathers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun V.T. Sambanthan.
The spirit of trust and bonding was so strong then that Tun Sambanthan also served as the acting Prime Minister on Aug 3, 1973.
Nevertheless, the prospect of MCA going solo in the next general election is also in the cards. This, however, does not mean that MCA would be abandoning BN as it would be “irresponsible” to leave the coalition when BN is facing its worst political challenges.
MCA is losing its relevance as a result of disillusionment of the minorities and the Chinese in particular who are no longer buying race-based political parties.
UMNO, too, faces a similar predicament as its share of Malay votes are at best at 23% compared to Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) more than half in the 2022 national polls.
The new political trend seems to be the elimination or diminishing role of political parties of the minorities such as MCA and MIC with the exception of Sabah and Sarawak-based parties.
The emergence of Malay dominance and the possible unity of a coalition of Malay parties will one day prevail as Malaysia’s new political reality is gaining momentum.
There’s no denial that the Malays are not forgoing race or religious politics with no Prime Minister wannabe daring to ignore such political reality.
Even today, PMX and the Madani government are hinging on to UMNO to retain their Malay support by creating more buy-ins, political optics and narratives towards grooming, harvesting and capturing the Malay votes through their hearts and minds.
Who dare to guarantee that UMNO will not form a united Malay coalition with PAS and Bersatu in the near future to champion Malay interests if they fail in Madani?
MCA going solo
If this happens, it is not only MCA or MIC which will become irrelevant but the Chinese and Indian communities will be politically sidelined further as DAP and PKR are both multi-racial entities. They cannot turn into communal parties overnight, can they?
Henceforth, going solo would enable MCA to assert its own direction, seek “new friends” and forge fresh political cooperation in view of the fact that members are increasingly feeling that they have been left in the lurch by BN lynchpin UMNO.
Above all else, MCA members are of the view that UMNO is currently partial to DAP which has been MCA’s bitter political rival.
However, it would be reckless for MCA to quit BN now which was founded on the spirit of multi-culturalism, accommodation and inclusiveness. It would appear as if MCA had abandoned the political conviction and legacy of its founding fathers.
It will also be irresponsible for MCA to leave BN without first trying to safeguard these principles and practices.
MCA must remain in BN to ensure that this spirit is continued and lives on with the hope that it is acknowledged, adopted and endorsed by the unity government openly.
In a quick, simple answer to the many queries on the future of MCA, I am of the opinion that MCA must not quit BN for now.
However, the party needs a “reset” and be prepared to stand on its own in the event UMNO opts to collaborate with DAP in the long run by sacrificing MCA to DAP.
The crux of the matter is that DAP can never be a Chinese party to replace MCA. Neither can DAP be an Indian party to replace MIC. There is no way UMNO can sell off the Chinese and Indian seats solely to DAP – May 28, 2025
Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker was a former MCA vice-president and former Youth and Sports deputy minister.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
