PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional's priority after MCA's walkout over seat allocation should be preserving coalition unity ahead of nomination day for the Melaka polls, say analysts.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Prof Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's decision to leave room for negotiations was a wise one.
"MCA's walkout reflects a deeper concern about its standing within the coalition, not merely the number of seats allocated.
"At this stage, Barisan cannot afford to win the seat-allocation argument but lose the trust of its own component parties," he said.
MCA leaders walked out of Barisan's candidate announcement on Saturday after the party was allocated two of the coalition's 21 seats, down from the seven it contested in 2021. Nomination is on Oct 31.
Sivamurugan said entering Melaka without MCA fully on board would signal internal disunity.
"For non-Malay voters, it could reinforce the perception that MCA's voice within Barisan has diminished," he said.
He said MCA should not be written off, pointing to its improved performance in Johor and Negri Sembilan.
"The challenge is not whether MCA can deliver every Chinese vote but whether Barisan can afford to weaken one of its traditional channels to the community," he said.
Lawyer and political commentator Ang Woei Shang said Melaka Umno had treated MCA, its longstanding ally since the Alliance era, unfairly by surrendering seats the party previously contested and lost to Perikatan Nasional without proper consultation.
He said MCA had been undergoing a gradual political recovery since 2018, with the Johor and Negri Sembilan state elections showing it was capable of reclaiming constituencies it previously lost.
Depriving MCA of the opportunity to contest the seats in Melaka could prove politically disastrous, potentially handing them to its biggest political rival, DAP, he added.
"From an electoral perspective, such a decision makes little political sense. Why undermine the recovery of your longstanding ally when doing so could ultimately benefit your political opponents?" he said.
Ang said Umno must publicly demonstrate its willingness to engage MCA in meaningful negotiations.
"To his credit, Zahid Hamidi has already taken an initial step in this direction by expressing his willingness to continue negotiations," he said.
Ang said maintaining the unity and mutual trust of longstanding coalition partners was essential.
"Ultimately, a politically wise leader should strengthen his alliances, not sacrifice his longstanding allies for short-term political convenience, especially when doing so risks benefiting his political opponents," he said.
