Just can’t believe why analysts and certain politicians and component parties in the unity government are going ga ga over MCA and MIC’s announcement that they would not campaign in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on May 11 if the unity government coalition did not field a candidate from BN.
Even though it suffered its worst ever defeat after the high of the 2004 General election where it won 2/3 of the total number of seats, due to some ingenious maneuvering, BN `cleverly’ positioned itself as the kingmaker in the formation of the present ruling coalition.
Its agreement to form the unity government in Nov 2022, however, did not receive the full and whole hearted support of its coalition partners namely MCA and MIC.
MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon reportedly urged for the President of UMNO to be replaced by his deputy Mohamad Hasan, also known as Tok Mat, as Barisan chairman.
A copy of a letter purportedly signed by the MCA President, MIC president and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah deputy president calling for a vote of no-confidence in the President of UMNO even went viral.
So it was obvious that the present unity government did not have the full and unconditional support of every of the political parties represented in the various coalitions that formed the unity government.
And just barely 18 months ago i.e at the 15th GE in Nov 2022, both MCA and MIC were telling their supporters and voters to vote for BN and not to vote for their opponents, both Pakatan Harapan or PN in the 15th GE.
DAP’s Lee Kee Hiong, the incumbent who passed on March 21, 2024 after a battle with cancer 1st won the seat in 2013 after defeating MCA’s Ooi Hui Wen with a 1,702-vote majority and defended it in 2018 with a 7,134-vote majority over MCA’s Wong Koon Mun.
In the state election in 2023, Lee again retained the seat for DAP with a 4,119-vote majority, fending off Gerakan’s Henry Teoh.
Given the vitriol both DAP and MCA hurled at each other for the last 11 years from 2013 to the present, MCA is actually doing a favor to DAP by not campaigning in the coming by election in Kuala Kubu Bahru.
Be fair to MCA.
After years of `mauling’ each ferociously at every level of politics in this country, it will be a new low if MCA were to campaign alongside the candidate from DAP singing the praises of the unity government for which DAP is a key component party.
If the leadership were to decide to campaign for the DAP candidate, they can expect to be `mauled’ not by DAP but by their own supporters.
Its political suicide for MCA leaders.
DAP should just concentrate and continued with their winning strategies successfully employed in the last 3 elections for this seat.
Don’t cry and make a fuss about MCA and MIC’s decision.
MCA and MIC are already doing DAP a favor with their decision not to campaign in the coming by election.
It is obvious that if they are to participate and help out in the campaign, they will spend more time explaining their stance asking their supporters to root for their opponents whom they just vilified 18 months and confuse their supporters and voters further.
They are not behaving selfishly. Maybe they believe that their absence will help the candidate from DAP more than if they were present themselves and antagonise their supporters.
Do remember that until todate, not many of UMNO supporters are on the same page as their leaders in their support for all the political parties in the Pakatan coalition.
So it is not a surprise if supporters of MCA and MIC also showed similar lack of interests in supporting the candidate from the Pakatan coalition.
Turn the situation around.
Would supporters of DAP go out and support a candidate from MCA wholeheartedly if by elections are held in other constituencies in the future?
PN has already handed the seat to the unity government on a silver platter when they presented a candidate whose academic credential and the speed and manner which he acquired it is an exemplary proof the Malays does not really need the assistance being offered by the government in the educational sector.
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