Would the MCA be better off without the BN and Madani?

Murray Hunter


Would the MCA be better off without the BN and Madani?

Future options for the MCA

Jun 17, 2025





Barisan Nasional Chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) would be allocated some seats under the BN banner next general election. If BN cooperates with Pakatan Harapan next general election, this would mean the DAP and PKR would make claim to most of the seats that could be winnable for the MCA.

Given the unpopularity of PH at the moment, MCA might be better off if the party contested the seats they wanted outside of the BN and ‘Madani’ framework. This means the MCA could target some seats PKR may lose and even challenge some DAP seats, particularly around Penang. At present, the MCA only has two seats in Parliament, both in Johor - Wee Ka Siong in Ayer Hitam and Wee Jeck Seng in Tanjung Plai.

Although the above seats were won under the BN banner and with the assistance of UMNO, MCA leaders would have to study whether they could hold both on their own, and more importantly gain more seats in the new parliament, than if they stayed with the BN.

A great baring on any decision the MCA makes would greatly depend upon the deal Zahid gives them. MCA must then weigh up how well could they perform in the coming election standing alone with the poor popularity of both DAP and PKR.

PKR would be the most vulnerable, and there could be a possibility that MCA may pick up a seat or two. Another option for the MCA is to jump over to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and run in mixed seats. Gerakan wasn’t very successful under the PN banner last election. But Gerakan wasn’t very organized and only half-hearted.

Of late the two MCA MPs have been acting more like opposition in the parliament than members of the ‘unity government’. The MCA vice president Tan Teik Cheng gives some nuances that the MCA might be open to all options at this stage. MCA secretary general Chong Sin Woon has stated frustration that Zahid as BN chairman hasn’t set a firm direction for the coalition for the next general election.

Some elements of the MCA grassroots membership would prefer to run alone free of both UMNO and PH. Many feel they have not much to lose, as the party risks dying of attrition in the future due to lack of representation in parliament. Gerakan is a clear example of that and the MIC is struggling even to survive as there are many voices speaking out for the Indian community now. This has brought in a ‘gambling instinct’ of just rolling the dice next general election.

Zahid is stuck between a rock and a hard place as prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has not as yet devoted much time to this issue and hasn’t laid out any general principles of seat allocations between BN and PH for the next general election.

The MCA has a long history and was one of the political parties that negotiated with the British for Malayan independence. Some believe the MCA could now take on the role of representing the Chinese cohort in Malaya much better than the DAP that has now fallen into the trap the MCA once fell into. Rumblings of corruption in Penang could flare up and severely damage the DAP before the next GE.

To follow such a strategy, the MCA needs a leader who can articulate the plight of the Chinese under a Madani government. The MCA has a couple of options and joining with the PN could also be a possibility, if they can frame the narrative correctly.

No matter which way the MCA goes next GE, it will be make or break for the party.