The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has appeared to be firing political rounds in every direction - at Putrajaya, at Pakatan Harapan (PH), at Barisan Nasional (BN), at Perikatan Nasional (PN), at the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and, in an unusual twist of internal turmoil, at itself: a lone battle for survival in a desperate comeback attempt, risking self-destruction with no allies left and everything to lose in the next election.
What was once one of the most influential parties in Barisan Nasional now finds itself trapped in a sphere of contradictions: criticising the government it is loosely aligned with, falling out of sync with its main coalition partner, clashing with opposition blocs it once collaborated with, and grappling with internal dissatisfaction that exposes deeper fractures in its leadership and purpose.
MCA Fires Warning Shot at Putrajaya: Drop Azam, Drop the Finance Portfolio Or Lose the Reform Mandate
MCA has launched one of its strongest attacks yet on the unity government, urging Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim to relinquish the finance portfolio and remove Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki - two reforms it says Pakatan Harapan (PH) once championed but has now conveniently forgotten.
Speaking at Wanita MCA’s general assembly, party secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon said implementing both reforms would be swift, cost-free, and politically rejuvenating at a time when public trust in PH is visibly eroding after the coalition’s poor performance in the Sabah state election.
“PH appears to have selective amnesia about its own promises,” he said, reminding delegates that DAP’s Hannah Yeoh had been among the loudest voices opposing the concentration of power when Najib Razak held both the prime minister and finance minister roles - a structure many blamed for enabling the 1MDB scandal.
Chong stressed that after Najib, the next three prime ministers did not simultaneously hold the finance portfolio, making Anwar’s dual role a glaring contradiction to PH’s earlier reform rhetoric.
On the call to remove Azam, he noted that several PH leaders had once accused the MACC chief of compromising the agency’s integrity, yet the unity government has extended his contract twice, with his tenure now stretching to May next year. “If PH could criticise Azam back then, why defend him now?” Chong asked.
MCA: No More Silence on Corruption, Not Again
Chong admitted that MCA had once failed Malaysians, especially the Chinese community, by remaining silent on corruption during its time in Barisan Nasional (BN). That failure, he said, cost the party credibility and contributed to its electoral collapse.
“A political party that fails to stand firm during critical moments will ultimately be abandoned by voters,” he said, adding that DAP is now repeating the same mistakes MCA once made.
Referring to the Sabah mining scandal, he criticised DAP for prioritising political stability over speaking up on alleged wrongdoing. “This mirrors the mistakes MCA once made. When your moral bottom line is compromised, trust evaporates.”
Rejecting PN: PAS Still a Red Line for Chinese Voters
On the question of future alliances, MCA president Dato' Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong made it clear the party is not ready to work with Perikatan Nasional (PN), citing the hardline stance and insensitive remarks of PAS leaders.
“The Chinese community rejects PAS. Unless PAS reforms and becomes moderate, we cannot move in that direction,” he said at the MCA general assembly.
This comes amid increasing tension within BN, as UMNO’s close cooperation with DAP under the unity government has unsettled MCA and MIC, pushing both parties to reconsider their political futures.
MCA Threatens to Quit BN if Any Component Cooperates with DAP in GE16
In a major move, MCA passed a resolution to quit BN if any component party cooperates with DAP in the coming general election. Wee said such cooperation would mean that the “BN spirit no longer exists.” At the same time, he warned that the unity government’s unpopular policies were dragging BN down.
The party’s resolutions - spanning politics, governance, economics, education, and organisational reform - signal its intent to reconnect with its base and regain lost relevance.
Analysts: MCA’s Hardline Position Driven by Seat Survival, Not Ideals
Political observers, however, believe MCA’s aggressive posture of leaving BN for the coalition's association with DAP has less to do with principles and more to do with survival. With only two parliamentary seats and a PH-BN pact to maintain previous seat distributions, MCA risks being politically disadvantaged in GE16 seat allocations.
Analyst Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani likened the strategy to a “kamikaze move”: high-risk with the possibility of total collapse, especially as race-based parties continue losing appeal.
Another analyst, Syaza Shukri, noted that MCA lacks the leverage needed to pressure BN or PH. “Malaysia’s landscape now demands flexibility,” she said. “MCA risks appearing indecisive and irrelevant.”
Dr Wee: DAP Is Not Fit to Be MCA 2.0
Adding fuel to MCA’s anti-DAP rhetoric, Dr Wee Ka Siong flatly rejected claims that DAP has become a “new MCA”, especially on Chinese education issues. He criticised DAP for failing to deliver on core promises despite years in government.
Netizens often mock DAP as “MCA 2.0”, but Wee disagreed sharply. “DAP lacks the credentials to be called MCA 2.0,” he said.
He highlighted several failures:
1. UEC Recognition
Wee reminded delegates that:
BN proposed recognising the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) with conditions: a Credit in Bahasa Malaysia and a pass in History.
PH promised to recognise the UEC with only one condition - yet still failed to deliver.
“So where is the long-promised UEC recognition? Where is the report from the committee they appointed?” he asked.
2. Approvals for New Chinese Primary Schools
Wee contrasted MCA’s record with DAP’s:
In 2017 alone, MCA secured 10 approvals for new SJKC schools and six for relocation.
Under PH (2018–2020 and 2022 until now): “How many approvals have they issued?”
His implication: almost none.
3. Institutionalised Funding
Wee argued that DAP merely repackaged what MCA had long secured, instead of introducing structural reforms.
“They emphasised ‘institutionalised funding’ as if it is new. MCA has secured tens or hundreds of millions for Chinese schools for decades,” he said.
He added that even in today’s budget, there is no clear specification of allocations dedicated to Chinese schools.
4. Survival of SJKCs
Wee reminded the audience that Malaysia has 1,308 Chinese primary schools today because MCA fought to protect them from being phased out historically. “Without MCA, we would not have even one Chinese school left,” he said.
Internal Dissent: Former MCA VP Says Party Needs a Reset, Not More DAP-Bashing
Former MCA vice-president Dato' Seri Ti Lian Ker delivered a sharp critique, saying president Wee Ka Siong had wasted the general assembly by recycling attacks on DAP instead of laying out MCA’s future or addressing leadership succession. With Wee approaching his term limit in 2027, delegates are anxious about who will lead the party next.
“We are not losing because people misunderstand us, but because we are no longer inspiring confidence or relevance,” Ti said.
In the end, MCA’s fiery demands for governmrnt reforms, its rejection of PAS, its threat to walk out of BN because of resentment toward DAP, and its internal leadership uncertainty show a party fighting on all fronts like a M-16 weapon firing at all directions - against PH, against BN, against PN, againt DAP and even against itself.
This multipronged outburst is not merely a series of random political outcries. It reflects a much larger struggle - a party fighting for identity, relevance, and survival amid a fast-changing political landscape where community support, coalition loyalty, and ideological grounding have all thinned dramatically.
As MCA attempts to reposition itself, its increasingly erratic political firepower raises a bigger question: is this a strategy for renewal or a symptom of a deeper existential crisis?
Whether this marks the beginning of MCA’s renewal or its final political gambit may well depend on whether voters believe its newfound moral clarity is genuine, or just another act of political survival.
By: Kpost
Information Source:
Fmt , SinarDaily , Nst , Fmt , TheStar , Fmt
Kpost (ckhorsk@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
