PETALING JAYA — MCA leaders walked out of a Barisan Nasional event in Melaka after objecting to what the party described as a candidate announcement and seat allocation process carried out without its agreement.

According to The Star, the dispute yesterday centred on constituencies previously contested by MCA, which the party claimed had been allocated to other parties despite the absence of formal negotiations and mutual consent.

“MCA cannot be pushed around. We are a political party and we deserve to be treated with dignity. How can decisions be made on MCA’s behalf without our agreement when the MCA president is still here?” MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong told the English daily

The walkout involved Wee, MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon and representatives from six MCA divisions in Melaka during the event held at the Melaka International Trade Centre.

According to Wee, MCA had been informed by Barisan Nasional’s executive secretary on Friday night that the gathering would focus solely on the launch of the coalition’s election machinery and would not include any announcement of candidates. 

However, upon arriving at the venue, party members alerted him to the possibility that candidates could be unveiled.