Umno Supreme Council member says MCA has lost its grip on the Chinese community, who now looks to Lim Guan Eng of DAP to lead them.
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz has said MCA needs a stronger leader for the Chinese community if they are to regain lost ground.
The outspoken Padang Rengas lawmaker said although he was confident in Umno’s strength, he felt that the Chinese-based Barisan Nasional (BN) component party had lost its grip on members of their community, who were looking for a stronger leader to represent them.
“I am not an MCA member, so I don’t know. That is why I say now in MCA there needs to be a strong leader.
“It can’t be denied that Lim Guan Eng is seen as the leader of the Chinese here.
“I see DAP and MCA as the same for the Chinese community. They (Chinese) see the leadership.
“(The leader) needs to be better. If he is not better than Lim Guan Eng, how can he bring back (support to MCA),” the tourism and culture minister said in an interview on Sunday.
Lim is DAP secretary-general and Penang chief minister, while MCA is led by Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who is the party president.
In the last general election, MCA only won seven out of the 37 parliamentary seats and 11 out of the 90 state seats it contested in.
In contrast, Umno increased its number of parliamentary seats from 79 to 88 in the last general election.
Nazri said that the BN should work together and reminded everyone that the days of a “walkover” election ended when they lost the two-thirds majority in 2008.
“After 2008, there were no more easy elections. There are no more easy walkovers (for BN). Every election will be fought bitterly.
“People no longer look at the party. We need to have the right candidate to win.”
-FMT NEWS-
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