By agreeing to become the silent, obedient bridesmaid in the “shotgun marriage” between UMNO and PAS, hasn't MCA effectively shot itself in the foot?
There can be no doubt that the recent “blue tsunami” in Johor, which succeeded in drowning Pakatan Harapan (PH), was partly aided by a covert electoral understanding between Barisan Nasional (BN) and the PAS-led Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Okay, it did not totally decimate the DAP, but didn’t it practically wipe out Anwar Ibrahim’s PKR as well as Amanah?
More significantly, it would have inflicted severe psychological damage on PH after several of the state’s mixed seats fell like tenpins—with the biggest beneficiary being none other than MCA!
So, should it come as any real surprise if MCA’s top brass are now gloating over the prospect of another unexpected windfall—this time in Negeri Sembilan?
Can they finally wipe out the DAP—especially their chief, Anthony Loke?
For the record, BN had recently unveiled candidates for only 25 of the 36 Negeri Sembilan state seats, giving a clear indication of a formal electoral cooperation with PN. This strategy aims to maximize their chances against PH by consolidating the Malay vote, replicating the template deployed in the recent Johor polls with some degree of success.
However, amid all that euphoria, came an unlikely bombshell after MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung openly expressed her dismay over the alleged electoral pact in a bold Facebook post. For a moment, some might have mistaken her for a DAP spokesperson!
The plucky Saw went on to stress that even during the Johor campaign, she had repeatedly spoken out against PAS, reassuring voters that BN would not cooperate with the Islamist party.
As expected her public outburst has left some of the party's senior leaders red-faced. According to one recent report, she has even been asked to stay out of campaigning for the upcoming NS polls.
Yet, to many observers, her anxiety is entirely understandable. An electoral pact between a supposedly multiracial BN and a predominantly Malay-Muslim bloc led by fundamental Islamists naturally raises serious concerns.
Doesn't it have the makings of another political time bomb in the country?
Perhaps she was spooked by the thought that Chinese voters in Negeri Sembilan would reject her party if voting for MCA inadvertently meant endorsing PAS. But while that fear looks valid on paper, didn't the formula work like magic in Johor?
In truth, Saw's social media uproar has caused a huge stir on both sides of the political divide. It appeared as though, for once, someone from within the party had boldly questioned whether MCA was doing the right thing by trying to defeat the DAP at the cost of sacrificing its own core principles.
The thing is, her party's top leaders would be fully aware of the negative perception arising from its association with PAS. In fact, it is believed that throughout the Johor election, the party deftly refrained from touching on a subject that is deemed highly sensitive to the Chinese.
Out of favour for so long, and perhaps driven by sheer desperation, MCA knew that in several mixed seats, the only way to knock out the DAP was by quietly absorbing PAS-PN votes. And didn’t it work out beautifully there?
Still, the party leadership's reluctance to openly oppose BN's political maneuvering in Negeri Sembilan underscores a harsh reality: that in realpolitik, despite all the rhetoric, only an exceptional few would give two hoots about party principles.
In this case, critics would argue that the MCA leadership have decided to turn a blind eye, content to let UMNO do the dirty job of sealing the deal with PAS—even if some in the party remain inwardly embarrassed by the arrangement.
More importantly, the pact throws them a much-needed lifeline and a gilt-edged chance to reclaim the throne from the DAP as the true representatives of the Chinese community.
Notably, it also offers them a path back into the government setup. Even if they are only handed a few less-glamorous ministerial posts, who cares?
After all, when deprived for so long, perhaps half a loaf is better than none!
Could that be the underlying reason why no one in MCA seems willing to take their Youth chief’s grim warning seriously? True, while some in the party may be vocal in voicing their displeasure at BN’s “backdoor deal” with the PAS-led opposition, there is little they can do. As junior partners in the coalition, aren't they ultimately beholden to the dominant party?
In any case, isn't MCA quite used to dancing the tango with UMNO for decades during the halcyon days of BN hegemony?
One thing appears certain: the “PAS factor” may provide them with a short-term sugar rush, but in the long run, MCA will inevitably face a devastating backlash from the very community it claims to represent. The party leadership should be familiar with the Islamist party’s dubious history of "forced marriages," which almost always end in a bitter, rancorous divorce.
As such, is it not only a matter of time before the combined "blue and green tsunami" that threatens to swallow the nation turns around to gobble up MCA as well—leaving the non-Malay community stranded in even deeper, darker waters? Surely MCA is aware of what it is getting into and how it will all end.
Main information source: Malaysiakini.
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