Kit Siang: Did Umno president override MCA in Alor Gajah?

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has questioned if MCA members accept that Umno president Najib Abdul Razak can dictate who in the party can or cannot contest in the general election.

Lim was responding to MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong, who urged his party to look at the "bigger picture", amid a local revolt over an attempt to field Najib's political secretary in Alor Gajah.

"Wee should spell out this 'bigger picture', whether the MCA members must agree that Umno president can override the MCA president in the nomination of candidates for the 14th general election," Lim said in a press statement today.

If this was the case, he said, it would be another historic moment in MCA's dependence on Umno.

"The present MCA national leadership would be creating history (again) - after creating history where the three top MCA national leaders, president Liow Tiong Lai, Wee and secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan dare not contest in Chinese-voter majority seats but must depend on Umno’s Malay votes to win in Parliament and get into cabinet," Lim added.

Earlier today, Wee said the allocation of electoral seats was a matter between Liow and Najib.

"I hope our grassroots will look at the bigger picture. After all, we are facing the general election. I think they can express their views through internal channels," he was quoted as saying by 8TV.

Yesterday, Oriental Daily reported that Liow had informed MCA's incumbent Alor Gajah MP, Koh Nai Kwong (photo), that he would be moved to the state seat of Machap, which MCA narrowly won in the 2013 general election (GE13).

Koh was asked to vacate his seat for Najib's political secretary Wong Nai Chee, who is also an appointed MCA central committee member.

Alor Gajah is considered to be MCA's safest seat, as the party achieved its largest majority there, out of the seven parliamentary seats it won in GE13.

The news about Koh having to make way for Wong triggered a revolt within local BN ranks.

Alor Gajah MCA cancelled its events and supporters took to inundating Liow's Facebook page with vitriolic comments.

A rally will also be held in Alor Gajah this evening in support of Koh.

Koh won Alor Gajah with 32,594 votes, beating DAP’s Damian Yeo Shen Li by an 11,597-vote majority.

DAP, which contested and lost Alor Gajah in the last three general elections, will cede the seat to its Pakatan Harapan ally Bersatu in the 14th general election.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke has expressed confidence that Bersatu will pose the strongest threat to MCA in the Malay-majority constituency. -Mkini