‘Chinese community regrets believing DAP’s political gimmicks, sweet promises’ - MCA deputy publicity chief

SHAH ALAM - Support for MCA among the Chinese community is showing signs of improvement compared to previous elections and it is not impossible that many may be ready to back the party in the 16th General Election (GE16).

MCA deputy publicity chief Neow Choo Seong claimed that more voters have expressed regret over what he described as political gimmicks and promises previously made by DAP.

However, he acknowledged that even if Chinese voters shift away from DAP, their support will not automatically flow to MCA unless the party adopts a stronger strategy, including introducing more new faces.

“MCA needs to present more young leaders who can represent and understand the community’s aspirations and meet current needs.

“At the same time, they must be guided and supported by the existing leadership. That, in my view, is crucial,” he said.

He was speaking during the programme Interviu titled ‘Kami Tak Main Sentimen Macam DAP!’ (We Don’t Play Sentiment Like DAP!), hosted by Haizir Othman and aired on Sinar Harian’s digital platform on Monday.

When asked about the possibility of Barisan Nasional (BN) maintaining cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH), particularly DAP, in GE16, Neow reiterated MCA’s firm stance.

He said the 77-year-old party is prepared to withdraw from BN and contest independently in future elections.

He said grassroots members and party leaders had made their position clear during MCA’s annual general assembly last December, that if necessary, the party must be ready to stand on its own without being overshadowed by others.

He also maintained that cooperation with DAP would be unlikely, arguing that the party no longer represents the interests of the people, particularly the Chinese community.

“There must be checks and balances and alternatives to champion the interests of the rakyat as a whole, not just one community.

“The focus should be on preserving harmony. As we see now, DAP has not only failed to represent Chinese interests, but at times has stirred racial disharmony by trying too hard to please people.

“As the Malay proverb says, ‘yang dikejar tak dapat, yang dikendong berciciran’ (you lose what you chase and drop what you carry). DAP is in a desperate position, which is why it is raising various sentiments,” he said.

Neow added that MCA must remain focused on its core objectives and avoid opportunistic politics.

“MCA must be more mature because we believe we are better than their party. However, we need time to prove that we have the people’s support.

“With stronger backing and more elected representatives in the future, we will have the space to demonstrate that MCA is the better choice,” he said.