Selangor Umno warned against arrogance
By Teoh El Sen, FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno is wrong in thinking that it can recapture Selangor for Barisan Nasional without MCA’s help, according to Yap Pian Hon, who is BN’s information chief for the state.
He warned Umno against underestimating MCA’s influence among Chinese voters, adding that no single BN component party could “go it alone” in the coming general election.
“Sometimes people talk big,” he said in response to reports quoting Umno sources saying MCA was rapidly losing Chinese support. “What is being said may be merely a perception.”
However, referring to reports that Selangor Umno was seeking to take over seats traditionally associated with MCA, he said they were “mere speculation”.
“The seat counts remain unchanged at the moment,” he told FMT. Out of the 56 state seats, 35 are for Umno to contest, 14 for MCA, four for Gerakan and three for MIC.
Yap called for “more unity” within BN, adding that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak “wants more politeness and for leaders to respect one another”.
He said the current political landscape did not allow for petty internal struggles. “In this day and age, we cannot have leaders with arrogant attitudes. That must be done away with. We cannot be shouting at each other to solve problems.”
Yap admitted that the Chinese community regarded MCA as weak, that it is afraid to go against Umno.
“They call MCA the running dog of Umno, that we are always begging Umno to be a component party,” he said.
“Our side has never had the chance to rebut this. We’ve actually achieved a lot through consultation with Umno – for example, getting Tunku Abdul Rahman College built to help the Chinese community get higher education.”
Yap, who is also publicity chief for MCA Selangor, also admitted that it would be an “uphill battle” for BN to retake Selangor in the coming election, adding that much would depend on the work of grassroots leaders.
He said the fight would be even tougher if BN went to the polls without MCA in a state where Chinese voters account for a substantial portion of the electorate.
The Chinese make up about 34% of voters in Selangor. Malays account for 49% and Indians about 14%.
“MCA has been here for 60 over years,” he said, “and I can tell you that if you don’t have the support of the people, you can close shop.
