Wee Ka Siong and MCA leaders walk out of BN event over Melaka polls seat allocation

MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and several senior party leaders walked out of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate announcement ceremony for the Melaka state election on Saturday night, protesting what they claimed was a unilateral decision on seat allocation without the party’s consent.

The incident occurred during BN’s unveiling of its candidates, highlighting an open disagreement between MCA’s leadership and those responsible for determining the coalition’s electoral seat distribution.

Wee reportedly left the event at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), accompanied by MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon and leaders from six MCA divisions in Melaka.

According to Wee, MCA had not been informed beforehand that the event would also involve the official announcement of BN’s candidates for the upcoming state election.

He claimed that several constituencies previously contested by MCA had been allocated to other parties without proper consultation or agreement from MCA’s leadership.

Dignity

During the 2021 Melaka state election, MCA contested seven state seats. However, for the upcoming election, the party has been allocated only two of the 21 seats being contested by BN.

The reduction from seven seats to just two has become a central point of contention, particularly concerning MCA’s position as one of BN’s longstanding component parties.

Wee stressed that MCA has its own dignity and principles, and could not accept decisions made without proper consultation and mutual agreement.

He also questioned the announcement of candidates for seats involving MCA when, according to him, the arrangements had not received approval from the party’s top leadership.

Nevertheless, Wee clarified that the decision to walk out of the ceremony did not mean MCA had decided to boycott BN entirely.

Instead, he explained that the protest was directed at the seat allocation process and what MCA regarded as a failure to respect its position as a component party within the coalition.

The incident came as BN was finalising its electoral cooperation with PAS and other political partners ahead of the contest for Melaka’s 28 state assembly seats.

The disagreement has raised questions about BN’s internal consultation and decision-making mechanisms, particularly when an announced seat allocation arrangement has drawn public objections from one of its component parties.