KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the party will respect any decision MCA makes on whether to leave or remain in the coalition.
"I have not received any official word from them but we will respect any decision as it is one of our core parties," he said at meeting with Barisan Nasional senators at the Barisan headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre on Sunday (Dec 2).
The decision to remain as a Barisan component party is among topics up for debate at the ongoing MCA AGM.
Ahmad Zahid said if MCA were to leave Barisan, the party has plans in place to win back Chinese voters.
"I don't want to elaborate on what the plans are but we know that not all Chinese support the party which is now part of the present Government," he said, making a vague reference to the DAP.
Ahmad Zahid also said Barisan is ready to work with other Chinese-based political parties should MCA decide to leave the coalition.
"There are many that are ready to work with us," he said.
MCA has been a longtime partner in Barisan ever since it teamed up with Umno to contest in the Kuala Lumpur municipal election in 1952 as part of the Alliance.
However, the 68-year-old party lost badly in the last general election with Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong winning the party's sole parliamentary seat in Ayer Hitam. The party also won one state assembly seat each in Perlis and Pahang
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