Analysts, however, believe the MCA-BN dispute is unlikely to derail the BN-PN partnership.
Former deputy international trade and industry minister Ong Kian Ming, who has resigned from DAP, said MCA has limited room to manoeuvre, given its reliance on UMNO and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), PN’s largest component party, to secure Malay votes.
“MCA knows that its fortunes are tied together with UMNO and even PAS, in terms of winning the Malay vote, in order for it to win the state seats in Melaka and, more importantly, state and parliamentary seats in GE16,” said Ong, an adjunct professor at Taylor’s University.
“The worst thing which can happen is if BN and PAS / Wawasan overlap in one or two state seats in Melaka but even this is unlikely given the stakes involved,” he added.
Beyond MCA’s grievances, however, a bigger contest is unfolding over the balance of power between BN and PN.
Seat-sharing negotiations have reportedly been fraught, with PN seeking more than the seven seats currently under discussion. BN, meanwhile, is expected to contest 21 of Melaka’s 28 state seats.
The bargaining has also extended beyond Melaka. A BN leader, Nur Jazlan Mohamed, has reportedly called on PAS to allocate UMNO one-third of the seats in the PN-governed states of Terengganu, Kedah, Kelantan and Perlis.
Analysts say these competing demands reflect a broader struggle over which coalition will wield greater influence within the partnership, particularly in negotiations over leadership and power-sharing ahead of GE16.
Political scientist Syaza Shukri of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) said PN’s push for more seats in Melaka could reflect PAS’ stronger presence there compared with Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
Nevertheless, she said PAS recognises that it must play the role of “junior partner” in states such as Melaka, where BN remains the dominant force.
Whether PAS would accept a similar arrangement in states it governs, particularly its northern strongholds, remains an open question.
“There may be an understanding that BN will not make a claim in the states held by PAS later on,” she added.
