GEORGE TOWN: With seat negotiations about to proceed between Umno and the Penang government, Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir says other component parties will also have a part to play.
He said Penang MCA chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng was right to say that seat negotiations between Barisan and Pakatan Harapan should include all component parties.
"Definitely Barisan, including MCA, will be in the discussions, but not right now.
"The first step is to discuss the Malay areas which Umno contested before, and then we will do the second step for Barisan (as a whole)," Musa was quoted as saying to a local news portal.
Musa said the meeting between Pakatan and Umno next week would merely be the first step involving PKR, Amanah and Umno.
"After that, we will discuss with MCA and MIC. There is no problem," he said.
Tan had said seat negotiations between Pakatan and Barisan should include all coalition component parties.
He said this after Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow's statement that Pakatan and Umno representatives would meet next week to discuss seat allocations for the upcoming state elections.
"Discussions about seats for the upcoming state elections between Barisan and Pakatan Harapan, should include all component parties from both coalitions, with the final decision made by the top leadership," said the MCA vice-president in a statement on Friday (April 28).
He added that this should be done to preserve the trust between parties.
Barisan currently has two assemblymen in the 40-seat Penang Legislative Assembly, both of whom are from Umno.
