KUALA LUMPUR: DAP leaders say MCA’s resolution to leave Barisan Nasional (BN) if any component party collaborates with DAP is an internal BN matter that the coalition will need to resolve.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke declined to comment on the resolution.
“No comments… it’s their own problem,” he told the New Straits Times.
Selangor DAP chairman Ng Sze Han shared a similar view, adding that the matter falls within BN‘s internal affairs.
“It’s BN’s internal affairs. Whatever MCA decides, I wish them all the best and good luck,” he said.
Earlier, at the 3rd General Assembly of the 30th MCA Central Committee, the party passed a resolution stating it would leave BN if any of its component parties decide to work with its rival, DAP, in the next general election.
President Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said such cooperation would effectively signal the end of the BN spirit.
“If any BN component collaborates with DAP in any form during the upcoming general election, our party will independently determine a new direction,” he said.
Wee also emphasised that MCA’s elected representatives have a responsibility to honour the mandate they received under the BN banner, even as questions continue to arise over the party’s future.
Yesterday, MCA Youth chief Ling Thian Siang also made a similar call, urging the party to consider pulling out of the unity government if it continues to be sidelined in policymaking and if long-standing promises to the Chinese community remain unmet.
Ling said the government’s failure to address key concerns had cast doubt on its commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and political stability.
He added that MCA Youth would not hesitate to recommend a withdrawal if the government still could not ensure proper annual allocations for Chinese primary schools, continued to treat high-achieving STPM students unfairly, or allowed extremism to flourish.
Another BN component, MIC, has previously expressed similar sentiments.
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan tabled three resolutions at the party’s 79th convention, including leaving BN and formally applying to join opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional.
While delegates debated the resolutions, no vote was taken as the convention agreed to leave the decision to president Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran and MIC‘s top leadership.
Vigneswaran revealed that he met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to discuss the party’s intention to leave BN.
In response, BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition would accept whatever decision MIC makes.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
