A political understanding between Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS could place MCA in a difficult position, forcing the party to balance electoral success against the risk of losing support from its traditional voter base, according to political analysts.
International Islamic University Malaysia’s Lau Zhe Wei said MCA could benefit electorally from cooperation between BN and PAS, as PAS supporters could transfer their votes to MCA candidates.
He pointed to the recent Johor state election, where MCA doubled its representation to eight seats after PAS urged its supporters to back BN candidates in constituencies not contested by Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Lau described the arrangement as an effective way for MCA to improve its electoral performance, but cautioned that closer cooperation with PAS could discourage some of MCA’s traditional supporters from voting.
Winning seats or retaining supporters
Lau said MCA now faces a strategic choice between pursuing Chinese votes, which may still be insufficient to secure victory, or relying on cooperation with PAS to improve its chances of winning seats.
‘Do you try to go after the Chinese votes that you can barely obtain, knowing that even if you manage to secure some, it may still not be enough to win the seat?
‘Or do you opt for BN-PAS cooperation where you might not gain most of the Chinese votes but still win the seat?
‘I think, at the moment, the second option may be better for MCA,’ he said.
On July 12, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said the party had agreed in principle to allow BN to defend the 14 seats it previously held in Negeri Sembilan, while PAS would contest the three seats it won in the last election.
Three days later, BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan announced that BN had reached an understanding with its ‘friends’ for the Aug 1 state election, with the coalition contesting 25 of the state’s 36 seats.
The announcements prompted MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung to question whether MCA’s leadership had approved the BN-PAS cooperation.
Lau, however, said such cooperation would not necessarily damage MCA’s prospects, suggesting younger voters might view BN’s involvement as moderating PAS’s image.
PH’s strength seen as key factor
Separately, Sunway University’s Wong Chin Huat said DAP and its supporters would likely be concerned about the implications of a BN-PAS alliance.
He argued that the cooperation reflected Pakatan Harapan’s current political weakness.
According to Wong, if PH were stronger, BN would have fewer opportunities to gain seats from the coalition, forcing Umno to compete against both PN and PH if it wanted to lead the next federal government.
He also said that if PH performs poorly in the Negeri Sembilan election, BN and PN could deepen their cooperation ahead of the 16th General Election.
Wong added that MCA is politically weaker in Negeri Sembilan than it was in Johor.
He said non-Malay voters would be reluctant to place their political future with MCA if they believed PH could be defeated by a BN-PAS alliance.
