MCA’s real test is winning back urban voters from DAP, says analyst

 Lau Zhe Wei says MCA’s recent gains in Johor and Negeri Sembilan do not necessarily signal a return of Chinese voters.

MCA won eight seats for BN in the Johor election and two in Negeri Sembilan.

PETALING JAYA:

An analyst has cautioned that while MCA’s recent election wins in Johor and Negeri Sembilan are a boost to morale, reclaiming urban seats from DAP will be a far tougher test.

Lau Zhe Wei.

Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia said MCA’s key challenge was to regain support in urban areas where DAP remained dominant, including Selangor, Penang, Perak and Kuala Lumpur.

He also said that the party’s recent wins could not be viewed as an outright recovery, as they came amid Barisan Nasional’s (BN) cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN), particularly the consolidation of Malay votes in seats contested by MCA.

He said Chinese voters had remained largely loyal to DAP and its allies since the 2008 general election.

“MCA needs to rebuild voter trust gradually and cannot rely solely on campaigns or political promises,” he told FMT.

“It needs to use its elected representatives’ positions to demonstrate capability in working and solving problems, thereby convincing voters that MCA still has a role to play.”

MCA president Wee Ka Siong recently told party leaders and members not to grow complacent over the party’s “small wins” in the two states.

MCA won eight seats for BN in Johor and two in Negeri Sembilan, in polls held on July 11 and Aug 1 respectively. BN-PN went on to form the new Negeri Sembilan government together.

The same cooperation could extend to Melaka, which is widely expected to hold its state election before the end of the year.

Mazlan Ali.

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Mazlan Ali said the same BN-PN arrangement that delivered MCA’s wins could become a liability if future joint campaigns lean too heavily on a Malay-Islamic narrative.

He said although MCA benefited from the consolidation of Malay votes in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, this did not mean DAP’s hold on non-Malay voters had weakened.

“If it is in a coalition that plays heavily on Malay-Islamic issues, sympathy or support for MCA will decrease among non-Malays.

“That situation risks making MCA increasingly dependent on Malay votes to win seats, while non-Malay voters may continue to choose DAP,” said Mazlan.

He said MCA needed to demonstrate that it could still champion Chinese community interests while showing that its role was not confined to one race.

“That ability is important if MCA wants to regain its core voter support and prove that its recent gains are not merely temporary,” he said. - FMT