Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has ruled out the possibility of MCA withdrawing from the Melaka state election, saying talks between the coalition and the party have yielded positive results.
Zahid said he had met MCA president Wee Ka Siong, BN secretary-general and Melaka Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh, but left it to Ab Rauf to announce the outcome.
‘The meeting with the MCA president, the Barisan Nasional secretary-general and the Melaka Chief Minister has shown positive results.
‘I cannot announce it. I have given the (caretaker) Melaka Chief Minister the mandate to make the announcement. Please direct your follow-up questions to him,’ he told reporters at an open day for students at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) today.
Asked whether MCA would withdraw from the polls, Zahid replied: ‘No, no, it does not arise.’
He said the discussions had been positive and there was no dispute between the parties.
‘Try asking Ab Rauf. It is positive. There is no fighting,’ he said.
BN to resolve candidate objections internally
Asked whether BN would reassess its candidates before nomination day on October 31 following objections to its line-up, Zahid said the coalition would resolve the matter internally.
He said such issues could arise during any by-election or state election, let alone a general election.
‘These problems do not happen only to Barisan Nasional but also to other coalition parties.
‘This is common, and nothing is impossible for us in finding the best solution. I do not see it heading in that direction,’ he said.
MCA unhappy with seat allocation
MCA leaders, including Wee, deputy president Mah Hang Soon and representatives from six MCA divisions in Melaka, walked out of BN’s candidate announcement at the Melaka International Trade Centre on October 24.
They said the seat allocation had been decided without the party’s agreement.
When asked at the time whether MCA would withdraw from the election, Wee said the party had yet to make a decision and would assess developments over the following days.
MCA has been allocated two of the 21 seats BN is contesting, compared with seven seats in the 2021 state election.
PAS and its allies will contest the remaining seven seats. Polling is scheduled for November 14, with early voting on November 10.
