MCA’s decision to contest Bandar Hilir in the upcoming Melaka state election has resolved a disagreement over the party’s seat allocation, following negotiations between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).

The agreement gives MCA three seats to contest, after the party initially secured only two under the proposed allocation.

MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong announced on October 29 that the party would contest Bandar Hilir, alongside Machap Jaya and Klebang.

The decision came days after Wee and several MCA leaders walked out of BN’s candidate announcement on October 24, reportedly over dissatisfaction with the seat allocation process.

Wee had said the allocation was decided without MCA’s agreement, prompting the party to seek further discussions with BN leadership.

Following negotiations involving BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PN leaders, PN agreed to make way for MCA to contest Bandar Hilir.

Wee said PN leaders had contacted him to express their willingness to relinquish the seat, noting that MCA had contested the constituency previously.

He also maintained that the decision would not affect the parties’ broader strategic cooperation.

Why Bandar Hilir?

Bandar Hilir is a significant constituency for MCA, particularly given its voter composition and the party’s previous electoral involvement there.

Chinese voters make up approximately 73% of the constituency’s electorate, while Malay voters account for 12.9%, Indian voters 6.4% and other groups 6.8%.

MCA has positioned the seat as one it is familiar with, with its candidate, Jasmine Lok Huey Yee, 38, serving as a Melaka Historic City Council councillor.

The constituency is currently held by DAP, making it one of the opposition-held seats at the centre of the wider negotiations between BN and PN.

Malaysiakini previously reported that PN component parties were not keen to contest Bandar Hilir, Kesidang and Kota Laksamana, all DAP-held constituencies with substantial Chinese electorates.

However, this was reported as part of the seat-allocation discussions and should not be taken as PN’s official explanation for giving up Bandar Hilir.

The seat was among seven constituencies BN had agreed to vacate to accommodate PN candidates under the broader arrangement.

A compromise to maintain cooperation

PN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar confirmed that the allocation of Bandar Hilir to MCA was reached through mutual agreement.

Under the final arrangement, BN will contest 22 seats while PN will contest six in the 28-seat Melaka state assembly.

The agreement brings the immediate disagreement over MCA’s representation to a close, allowing both coalitions to move towards the nomination and campaigning stages.

Separately, PN has yet to announce its candidate for one remaining state seat. Samsuri said the delay was due to several outstanding matters, denying that it stemmed from a dispute over seat allocation among PN component parties.

He added that the matter would be resolved by nomination day on October 31.

The Melaka state election is scheduled for Nov 14, with early voting taking place on November 10.

While MCA’s additional seat may appear to be a relatively small adjustment in the overall allocation, the negotiations behind it highlight the balancing act required between coalition partners.

For BN and PN, the challenge now is not only to finalise their candidates but also to ensure that disagreements over representation do not undermine their cooperation before voters head to the polls.