MCA president Wee Ka Siong has cautioned party leaders and members against becoming complacent or overly excited following the party’s recent electoral gains.
MCA won eight seats in the Johor state election in July and secured two seats in the Negeri Sembilan election earlier this month.
According to Bernama, Wee stressed that MCA must maintain its momentum ahead of the 16th general election (GE16), with party leaders at all levels expected to demonstrate their commitment by serving the public well.
“The strength of a political party provides added value and an advantage in political manoeuvring and future coalition negotiations,” he told reporters after attending the closing ceremony of MCA’s election training workshop in Ipoh today.
MCA urged to maintain momentum
The workshop was attended by more than 200 division-level leaders and was officiated by Perak menteri besar and state Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Saarani Mohamad.
Wee said MCA’s recent electoral performance should not lead the party to become complacent, stressing the importance of maintaining its momentum ahead of GE16.
He also said party leaders at all levels must continue demonstrating their commitment through their service to the public.
Melaka seat allocations yet to be finalised
Wee said seat allocations among BN component parties for the upcoming Melaka state election would only be finalised after the dissolution of the state legislative assembly, which is expected to take place in December.
MCA ended its 13-year absence from the Negeri Sembilan legislative assembly after winning two seats in the Aug 1 state election.
One of its most notable victories came in Chennah, where Siow Kong Choon defeated DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook by 688 votes in a straight fight. Loke had held the seat since 2013.
MCA’s Koh Kim Swee also wrested the DAP stronghold of Repah, defeating S Veerapan with a majority of 444 votes.
MCA makes gains in Johor
The eight seats won by MCA in the July 11 Johor state election surpassed DAP’s total of six seats.
The party’s biggest gains came from Tangkak, Jementah and Johor Jaya, three seats that had been held by MCA for years before being won by DAP in 2013, 2018 and 2022 respectively.
MCA also retained Pekan Nanas, Yong Peng, Bekok and Paloh, which it had won in 2022.
The party also helped BN retain the Layang-Layang seat, which Umno had won in 2022.
