KUALA LUMPUR – MCA will work hard at strengthening Barisan Nasional (BN) but neither will it hesitate to pursue its “independence” if other parties in the coalition abandon the alliance and form new partnerships, party president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong said.
“If any BN component parties have the intention to form a new partnership and abandon its coalition members, MCA will not hesitate to be independent, even if that means we have to start all over again,” Wee said in his policy speech at MCA’s 70th annual general assembly this morning.
He said the results of last November’s general election “had changed the relationship amongst BN component party members” and also brought challenges to “our spirit of consensus”.
This was in reference to BN’s dismal performance in the federal polls, which led it to join the unity government under then-rival Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. MCA was not given any cabinet post in the unity government.
As such, Wee said MCA must work with other like-minded people from the coalition’s component parties to reform BN, and also to strengthen MCA so that it can regain its standing.
“We must prove to our component parties that we are an influential member in the coalition that can add value to our partners,” Wee said.
Wee also urged PH members, leaders and those in the cabinet not to “get too worked up” with MCA when it criticised or made suggestions to the unity government, as such remarks were meant to help the administration correct mistakes and take preemptive steps to avoid potential problems.
“We are simply stating the facts when we criticise or make suggestions to the unity government. We have no intention to take it out on anyone or make personal attacks, but we simply just want to offer our services to the public,” he said. – October 22, 2023