FORMER MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker attributed the decline in Chinese support for MCA since 2004 to UMNO’s arrogance within Barisan Nasional (BN).
He is the latest MCA figurehead to address the party’s strained ties with UMNO in recent weeks, amid widespread online speculation that MCA is considering exiting BN.
For Ti, the key incidents in the rocky relationship include UMNO Youth’s 2005 keris-wielding controversy, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 2000 comparison of a Chinese lobby group to communists, the 2006 forced retraction of a religious rights memorandum, and the 2018 attack on tycoon Tan Sri Robert Kuok, who was unapologetically insulted by UMNO’s Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz.
These alienated the Chinese community, pushing them toward the opposition in 2008 and 2018.
Responding to UMNO’s Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi’s call for MCA introspection after winning only two seats in 15th General Election, Ti argued MCA suffered as BN’s “collateral damage” despite its loyalty amid scandals like 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
He criticised Puad’s remarks as arrogant, warning that UMNO’s perceived tilt toward DAP risks alienating BN allies, potentially spelling the coalition’s end if component parties are sidelined.
“UMNO cannot continue to shut its component parties out or leave them in the dark, as this will mean that UMNO is selling out BN in favour of DAP, which in the long run could spell the end of BN,” a local news portal quoted Ti as saying.
Meanwhile, Johor MCA Youth chief Heng Zhi Li had also criticised BN for its collaboration with Pakatan Harapan (PH), claiming it weakens BN from within.
Responding to Johor UMNO Youth chief Noor Azleen Ambros, Heng argued that PH’s partnership is not saving BN but blindly leading to its political irrelevance and potential collapse.
His remarks were in support of MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon’s concerns about BN’s direction with PH. Heng’s statement highlights growing tensions within BN’s component parties over the coalition’s alliance with PH, raising fears of long-term damage to BN’s relevance.
In March this year, MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong warned that the party risks becoming irrelevant if it fails to win seats in the next five years. Speaking at MCA’s 76th-anniversary celebration, he urged members to prioritise upcoming elections in Sabah, Melaka, Johor and the next general election.
Are Malaysian Chinese voters ready to forgive MCA? Despite holding only two parliamentary and seven state seats, Wee emphasised MCA’s role as a check-and-balance force in the unity government.
He dismissed rumours of tensions with UMNO and accused certain PH parties of trying to pressure MCA out of BN to monopolise Chinese voter support. — May 3, 2025
Main photo credit: Sinar Harian
