MCA becomes latest party to express unhappiness with Anwar's unity govt

Party delegates back motion to end cooperation with DAP before next GE

- Shannon Teoh

The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has become the latest party to make clear its dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's sprawling unity government.

At the party's annual general meeting on Dec 7, delegates backed a motion to end cooperation with the Democratic Action Party (DAP) - which supplies the most MPs in the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition before the next general election due by early 2028.

The move, which confirms a Straits Times report, throws the ball into Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi's court. As chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN), he has repeatedly insisted that the coalition, which includes MCA, must continue its electoral pact with PH to fend off the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN).

The MCA resolution stated: "If any BN component party cooperates with DAP in any form during the upcoming general election, this would indicate that the BN spirit has effectively ceased to exist, and our party will independently determine a new direction."

MCA party sources told ST that the implications of the resolution are that the party could leave BN, should Umno president Zahid insist on clinging on to Datuk Seri Anwar's PH.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong told party delegates: "Since coming into power, DAP and PH have made U-turns on countless issues, abandoning promise after promise. They have not only betrayed the people, they have even betrayed their own principles.