Limited seats forcing MCA to push BN against DAP, says analyst

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri says MCA is in a tight spot after the informal agreement between PH and BN to maintain seat allocations from the last election.

An analyst said the strategy of issuing threats carries major risks for MCA because the party and DAP share the same voter segments. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 MCA’s efforts to keep Barisan Nasional (BN) from cooperating with DAP stem not from principle but from a desire to secure its political survival, an analyst says.

Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said MCA had only two parliamentary seats, placing it in a precarious position following the internal agreement between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to maintain seats for the party that won them in the last election.

“If BN continues to work with DAP, it means MCA will have no room to contest elsewhere,” Zaharuddin, of Global Asia Consulting, said.

He pointed to Upko’s experience before the Sabah state election, saying it would have missed out on its desired seats if it had remained aligned with PH.

“MIC and MCA are using the same approach, threatening BN because they want seats. They want to contest many seats, (winning) more votes and, hence, more influence,” he added.

He was commenting on a resolution which MCA passed at its annual general assembly on Sunday, rejecting any form of cooperation with DAP in the 16th general election (GE16).

The delegates also agreed that MCA would set its own course if any BN component party continued working with DAP in GE16 despite MCA’s stand.

In response, Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi said MCA should decide its position within BN now, as Umno remained committed to continuing its cooperation with PH, including DAP, in the next general election.

Zaharuddin said the strategy of issuing threats carried major risks for MCA as it shared the same segment of voters as DAP.

“MCA’s move is like a ‘kamikaze’. If it fails, it could disappear from Malaysian politics because at the moment, the concept of race-based parties seems to be losing appeal,” he said.

Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University Malaysia said MCA lacked the political clout to exert real pressure on any party.

“If MCA wants to remain firm, it’s good to show the party’s stance. However, politically, this is challenging because Malaysia’s current landscape demands flexibility,” she said.

She added that such flexibility could make MCA appear indecisive.

Syaza also said current developments suggested that Malaysia was moving towards a political model in which parties contest independently and form alliances only with winning parties after elections, similar to the practice in many European countries. - FMT