PETALING JAYA: MCA has the right not to contest in the upcoming state elections, says president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).
As one of the founding members of the Barisan Nasional coalition, the party asserts its right to make decisions for the party’s future, he added.
“The party has the right to determine its future. It is not for others to determine our actions,” he told reporters after attending a briefing for grassroots party members from Selangor, Wilayah Persekutuan, and Negri Sembilan here yesterday.
He said the decision to sit out the polls was made during a party central committee meeting held on Wednesday.
He said the party had communicated its decision to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Polls for the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Penang will take place on Aug 12.Dr Wee was responding to comments made by former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, who said that MCA and MIC’s decision not to field candidates in the six state elections is due to both being sidelined by Umno, its partner in Barisan.
Shahril had claimed that Umno had taken Barisan to form the unity government with former rivals Pakatan Harapan.
At yesterday’s MCA briefing, Dr Wee thanked his members for supporting the party’s decision, and emphasised the need to move forward and support Barisan candidates who will be contesting in the state polls.
Another special briefing for members will be held in Penang soon.
Meanwhile, on another matter, Dr Wee said that Kuala Lumpur is increasingly becoming a preferred investment destination for Chinese corporations, which want to expand their ventures in the city and the rest of Malaysia.
“Malaysian companies are encouraged to capitalise on the strong and longstanding ties with China and to partner and collaborate with Chinese companies to expand their business into the Chinese market and beyond,” he said yesterday after attending the Liuzhou Key Industries Investment Promotion Conference (Malaysia).
He said the event, supported by SME Corp, will benefit both nations by deepening mutual understanding between investors from Malaysia and China.
“The event is supported by SME Corp and Malaysia is pleased to receive the senior officials and 34 private enterprises from Liuzhou, which have chosen Kuala Lumpur as their destination for investment promotion and business networking.
“I believe such an event will allow local investors and those from Liuzhou to gain a better mutual understanding of the demands in both destinations and how to leverage on each other’s advantages to create a win-win situation for both countries,” he wrote on Facebook.
The event also witnessed the signing of 13 agreements between Malaysian and Chinese companies involved in the automobile, food, logistics, and smart home appliance industries, Dr Wee added.
Also present at the event were Liuzhou City Mayor Zhang Zhuang, city secretary-general Liu Bochen, Liuzhou Investment Promotion Agency director Zhao Taotao and Asean-China Entrepreneurs Association president Datuk Beh Hang Kong.
