In GE15 break-up with Bersatu, can Umno's partners MCA, MIC survive and stay relevant

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In GE15 break-up with Bersatu, can Umno's partners MCA, MIC survive and stay relevant to voters?

KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Umno's decision to stay in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government until the 15th general election (GE15) but immediately challenge the coalition’s lynchpin Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) has cast the spotlight on MCA and MIC.

Umno's decision to split with Bersatu in GE15 was made unilaterally without announcing the position to be taken by its decades-long allies in the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, MCA and MIC. BN had been reduced to just the three parties after a disastrous outing in the 2018 elections, with just MCA and MIC choosing to stay with Umno while others left the coalition.

But beyond deciding whether to side with Malay parties Umno or Bersatu in GE15, political observers also highlighted strategies that both the Chinese-based MCA and Indian-based MIC would need to take to stay relevant and survive in Malaysia's political scene. MCA currently has one minister, four deputy ministers while MIC has only one minister in the PN federal government.

Leadership change, youth focus needed

Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, senior associate with political and policy risk consultancy Vriens & Partners, said the Umno-Bersatu split for GE15 puts MCA and MIC in an "unenviable position of having to decide on which party to ally themselves with".

"In the past, both parties have latched on to Umno as a means of surviving and scraping by a few seats and positions in government. No matter what their choice is, the bigger issue at hand is whether MCA and MIC are a spent force," he told Malay Mail when contacted.

He noted that Umno and Bersatu are "slugging it out in hopes of winning over the key Malay vote", adding: "The showdown between the two parties is inevitable- Bersatu’s raison d’etre was to replace Umno as the premier party for Malay voters."

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