PETALING JAYA: MCA president Wee Ka Siong has stressed that the cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Negeri Sembilan state election is not a compromise of their respective political principles.
He said the strategic cooperation was only aimed at avoiding multi-cornered contests that could split votes, and to improve their chances of forming a stable state government.
“This cooperation aims to establish a stable, efficient and effective government to ensure Negeri Sembilan’s continued development,” he told a press conference in Seremban.
“It must be emphasised that this cooperation does not amount to an alliance. Each party will continue to uphold its respective ideological principles while playing the role of checks and balances against one another.”
According to Wee, MCA’s involvement was to ensure the Chinese community, the country’s multiracial society, vernacular education and religious freedom continued to have representation in the government.
He also stressed that MCA would not provide unconditional support to any party.
MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung had questioned whether the party’s leadership had endorsed BN’s cooperation with PAS for the Aug 1 polls.
BN is contesting 25 seats, while PN is vying for the remaining 11, with not a single seat overlap.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said PAS had agreed in principle to allow BN to defend the 14 seats it previously held in Negeri Sembilan, while PAS would contest the three seats it won in the previous state polls.
Wee said the decision to participate in the cooperation was finalised in the early hours of July 15 after considering feedback from various parties, including the Negeri Sembilan MCA leadership.
“BN eventually decided to contest in 25 seats where it believes it has the best chances of winning,” he said.
According to Wee, the cooperation would also not prevent other parties from contesting, as this was a right guaranteed under the democratic system.
“So, with this understanding, this arrangement is what we call cooperation. It is not an alliance and it will not lead to the formation of a new party or coalition.
“I also must stress here that we recognise that in a vibrant democracy, any individual or party is free to contest,” he said.
