KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 29): MCA is now a “subservient party” in Barisan Nasional, having lost the spirit of equal partnership that defines a functional political coalition, said PKR strategic director Sim Tze Tzin.
In a healthy, consensus-driven coalition, all component parties should be brought together as equals to deliberate on key decisions, he said, noting that recent developments reflect a clear lack of respect for the role and standing of the party officially known as the Malaysian Chinese Association.
“Democracy is about respecting each other,” Sim said, lamenting that it was unfortunate to see talks effectively dictated by one dominant party.
Sim, who is also the deputy minister of investment, trade and industry, was commenting on the recent seat negotiations between Umno and MCA for the upcoming Melaka state election after officiating the launch of a steel industry report in Selangor.
MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and his colleagues walked out of the coalition’s weekend candidate announcement ceremony for the state’s election scheduled for Nov 14.
Political dynamics in Barisan Nasional have increasingly shifted towards unilateral decision-making, where one party dictates terms while others are forced to comply, making it a sad development for coalition politics in Malaysia, Sim said.
For contrast, he pointed to Pakatan Harapan as an example of a functioning, consensus-driven coalition where every component party is given an equal platform to voice its position.
In Pakatan Harapan, “all the parties are brought to the table to discuss,” Sim said. “Everyone has the same voice.”
Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had announced that MCA would contest only two seats — Machap Jaya incumbent Datuk Ngwe Hee Sem and Kelebang incumbent Datuk Lim Ban Hong — with the remaining five seats previously contested by MCA allocated to other parties.
Wee said the announcement of candidates without prior consultation or approval from component parties was unacceptable, noting that it had caused widespread dissatisfaction among MCA leaders.
On Oct 27, Wee announced that MCA accepted the two-seat allocation after receiving assurances that the party would not be sidelined and would continue to play an active role in the state government.