Wee, Khoo bertikam lidah isu ‘maruah’, kompromi kerusi

Presiden MCA Wee Ka Siong and DAP Melaka head Khoo Poay Tiong clashed today over their respective move to cede seats to Bersatu in the upcoming PRN Melaka. Wee contended that DAP ought to be held accountable for its loss of Bemban seat to Bersatu, while Khoo accused MCA of compromising its honor by conceding seats to Umno and PAS in the coalition talks.

Wee said MCA had anticipated a decrease in the number of seats in the upcoming 14 November election due to the compromises made in coalition talks. Furthermore, MCA has always emphasized the willingness to relinquish seats to secure support for the PRN, including during the recent Negeri Sembilan poll in August. "Coalition politics demands mutual understanding and compromise, as there is no room for rancor if each party insists on increasing its own seats," Wee added, according to Sin Chew.

Khoo questioned why DAP surrendered Bemban to Bersatu after initially promising to contest the mixed-seat constituency. "Khoo previously assured DAP would contest Bemban, but now it isn't. If Bemban is such a strong seat, why doesn't Pakatan Harapan (PH) place a candidate there? Why doesn't PH contest all 28 seats? There needs to be some self-reflection and cooperation with others," Khoo stated.

DAP contested eight seats in the 2021 PRN Melaka, whereas MCA took seven seats. In the upcoming poll, DAP will contest seven seats, while MCA will have four seats. In response to Wee's statement, Khoo said DAP had always maintained that it would contest only seven seats, including Bemban, as part of its election strategy. The Melaka Parliament member noted that the DAP's situation differs from MCA's because the PH component is only ceding one seat, while MCA loses three seats.

"Regarding Wee's statement about a 'deal with Bersatu', the reality is that nearly half of the seven seats contested by Bersatu are already linked to PH," Khoo said, according to the Nanyang Siang Pau.