Chua: MCA should leave BN if incumbency rule remains
Lee Way Loon
Published: Aug 2, 2025 9:00 AM
Updated: 5:04 PM
Summary
- Former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek says the party should quit BN if the incumbency rule remains, as it would leave the party with few seats to contest in the general election.
- Chua says that should the party choose to leave the coalition, it must be done with the right timing, but it need not be tied to its AGM.
- He also criticises his successor, Liow Tiong Lai, for reversing a party resolution to stay out of the cabinet if it performs poorly in the general election, saying MCA would not have been blamed as harshly in the following 1MDB scandal if it stuck to its guns.
With MCA weighing the option of leaving BN, former president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the party should make the break if BN continues to follow a rule that only allows incumbent parties to contest the seats they hold in the next general election.
Chua had already suggested that MCA should leave BN after its disastrous showing at the 2018 general election.
While he stands by his view from back then, he said the party must also present a reasonable justification to the rakyat if it were to quit the coalition now.
“We’ve been in BN for so long. If we want to leave, we need a reason that the people can accept. You can’t just be a fake hero - it’s meaningless. Because at the end of the day, politics is all about one thing: the rakyat and their votes.
“If you ask me, I’ll tell you plainly - if BN continues with its rule that any component party losing twice in the same constituency can no longer be allowed to contest there under the BN banner, then it’s time for MCA to say ‘bye-bye’,” he said.
The 78-year-old was speaking in a Chinese-language podcast interview with Malaysiakini, where he discussed MCA’s future direction.
The podcast was released yesterday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Chua warned that under such a seat allocation rule, MCA could be left with just two parliamentary seats and a handful of state seats to contest.
“That’s just my opinion. I don’t know what the leadership will decide. (But if it really comes to that,) then it’s time, we should say ‘thank you, and bye-bye, ’” he added.
Even so, he didn’t rule out a scenario where MCA stays in BN to contest the seats it holds, while also fielding candidates in winnable areas under the party’s own banner.
Internal debate heats up
Lately, MCA divisions nationwide have been holding annual delegates meetings, with many passing resolutions rejecting any form of cooperation with DAP.
Some divisions even supported calls for MCA to exit the Madani government, go solo in the next general election, and leave BN altogether.
On June 30, MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon said the party leadership would review all division-level resolutions before deciding on the party’s future direction, possibly by tabling related motions at its national AGM on Nov 2.
Chong Sin Woon
In the podcast, Chua joked that he is now just an “ordinary party member” and doesn’t know what the leadership will decide in November.
However, he emphasised that timing is key in politics, and MCA need not tie its decision to the AGM.
“Politics is all about timing - just like when you ask a girl out. You can’t invite her for dinner during a flood or thunderstorm. It’s just not the right moment. Politics works the same way,” he said in his trademark humour.
Chua also said the upcoming Sabah state election should not be used as a reference for whether MCA should quit BN, as the party has a weak presence in the Land Below the Wind.
“My party comrades in Sabah might scold me for saying this, but it’s the truth,” he said.
He admitted that MCA must face the political reality - it now only has two MPs and seven state assemblypersons, leaving it with little bargaining power.
Swiping at Liow
Reflecting on the past, he recalled how MCA passed a resolution not to accept cabinet posts if the party performed poorly in GE13.
“That resolution was unanimously passed twice. Eventually, we didn’t do well in that election, but the president at the time, Liow Tiong Lai, quickly reversed it and joined the cabinet.
“He said not joining the cabinet was a mistake and blamed the poor performance on me or some other reason. So they joined anyway.
“In 2018, during the 1MDB scandal, I openly said it was time for MCA to leave BN. But again, the same president didn’t have the courage to do it,” he said.
In the podcast, Chua joked that he is now just an “ordinary party member” and doesn’t know what the leadership will decide in November.
However, he emphasised that timing is key in politics, and MCA need not tie its decision to the AGM.
“Politics is all about timing - just like when you ask a girl out. You can’t invite her for dinner during a flood or thunderstorm. It’s just not the right moment. Politics works the same way,” he said in his trademark humour.
Chua also said the upcoming Sabah state election should not be used as a reference for whether MCA should quit BN, as the party has a weak presence in the Land Below the Wind.
“My party comrades in Sabah might scold me for saying this, but it’s the truth,” he said.
He admitted that MCA must face the political reality - it now only has two MPs and seven state assemblypersons, leaving it with little bargaining power.
Swiping at Liow
Reflecting on the past, he recalled how MCA passed a resolution not to accept cabinet posts if the party performed poorly in GE13.
“That resolution was unanimously passed twice. Eventually, we didn’t do well in that election, but the president at the time, Liow Tiong Lai, quickly reversed it and joined the cabinet.
“He said not joining the cabinet was a mistake and blamed the poor performance on me or some other reason. So they joined anyway.
“In 2018, during the 1MDB scandal, I openly said it was time for MCA to leave BN. But again, the same president didn’t have the courage to do it,” he said.
Liow Tiong Lai
Chua believes that had MCA stuck to its “no cabinet posts” resolution or left BN after GE14, the party may not have been blamed as heavily for the 1MDB scandal.
However, he emphasised that today, whether MCA leaves BN is not the party’s biggest challenge.
Instead, he said, MCA should focus on strengthening its groundwork in winnable constituencies - channelling time, resources, and energy into those areas, including identifying strong potential candidates.
Chua believes that had MCA stuck to its “no cabinet posts” resolution or left BN after GE14, the party may not have been blamed as heavily for the 1MDB scandal.
However, he emphasised that today, whether MCA leaves BN is not the party’s biggest challenge.
Instead, he said, MCA should focus on strengthening its groundwork in winnable constituencies - channelling time, resources, and energy into those areas, including identifying strong potential candidates.
You are FREEE to contest seats that BN or PH had lost heavily ..wakakaka...just that you can't just demand competitive seats.
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