MCA was a founding member of Barisan Nasional and the main voice for Chinese interests in an Umno-led coalition, but has seen its influence steadily decline since the 2008 general election. PETALING JAYA: Chinese support for MCA will be gone for at least another decade, regardless of which coalition it joins or how it rebrands, says a political analyst James Chin of the University of Tasmania said the Chinese community shifted its support decisively to DAP from 2013 onwards after decades of unmet expectations of MCA since the country gained independence. James Chin. “The Chinese have moved completely to the DAP side, and they're going to give DAP at least 20 years of full support,” Chin told FMT. “So, DAP has about 10 more years left where it doesn't matter what you do, you will not be able to disturb the Chinese support for DAP.” He was commenting on remarks by Sungai Petani MCA chief Cheng Joo Choi, who said the party should leave Barisan Nasional and rebuild itself as an independent opposition focused on Chinese voters. MCA, a partner with Umno in the independence movement, and a key founding member of Barisan, was the main voice for Chinese interests in Umno-led coalitions since Merdeka. But the party has seen its influence steadily decline since the 2008 political tsunami. By the 2022 election, the party was reduced to just two parliamentary seats: Ayer Hitam, held by president Wee Ka Siong, and Tanjung Piai, held by vice-president Wee Jeck Seng On Umno and corruption Another analyst, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said MCA’s image problem goes beyond electoral performance or coalition alignment. “In most Chinese minds, MCA is perceived to be also irretrievably corrupt, in addition to being subservient to Umno, by keeping quiet on Umno’s excesses to stay corrupt,” he said. Oh contrasted this with growing criticisms of DAP, which he acknowledged is also seen by some as too quiet on Chinese issues, but for different reasons. “DAP admittedly is also increasingly perceived as not standing up for Chinese rights, but is thought to be biting the bullet in order to keep afloat the current government, which is seen as much preferred to a PAS-dominated alternative government,” he said. Gerakan worse off Asked if an independent MCA could still outperform Gerakan on Chinese community issues, Chin said Gerakan is in an even worse position due to its ties with PAS. “In fact, if Gerakan were to come out and stand on their own, most of the candidates would actually lose their deposits because the Chinese are very angry with Gerakan supporting PAS and its idea of an Islamic state,” he said. Gerakan, a Chinese-majority party, was part of BN but was wiped out in the 2018 general election. It later joined PN but failed to regain any seats in the 2022 general election.