“They are finished,” Lee told FMT today. He said MCA would not be able to survive on its own if it left Barisan Nasional.
“Right now, their only hope for survival is Malay support. They are no match for DAP and PKR, where both are well represented with Chinese MPs in the states now governed by a Pakatan Harapan-led state government.”
After last month’s general election, MCA has been left with only one MP, its deputy president Wee Ka Siong who was narrowly elected in Ayer Hitam, Johor, and two assemblymen, in Titi Tinggi, Perlis, and Cheka, Pahang.
All other candidates lost their contests, including party president Liow Tiong Lai in Bentong.
MCA has since faced calls to leave BN. Critics of the party have said that MCA had lost Chinese support by not speaking up for the Chinese community.
Lee, who was sacked by the party in 2013, said the MCA could only rebuild if component parties within BN merged into a single multiracial party.
“This is the only way it can survive in the current political landscape. BN’s best survival ticket would be to merge all component parties into a multiracial party. Only then does it stand a chance to put up a fight against Pakatan Harapan,” he said.
However, Umno and MCA both held too much in terms of assets which they were unwilling to let go.
“This is why not all Umno members are for the idea of opening up the party membership. They know that they need to, but because of the assets they own, they are unwilling to do so.
“Similarly with MCA. They are not willing to open up to be multiracial for the same reason,” he said.
MCA holds a major stake in Star Media Group, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.
Lee said the party should divest its shares in these entities.
“The Star cannot say it is neutral in its reporting if MCA owns it. If they want The Star to stay afloat, they have to divest their shares, otherwise their shares will drop and the paper will die,” he said.
With the current government’s promise to improve public institutions, both UTAR and TARUC will lose out in the race for student recruitment.
“Why would they want to opt for private institutions like UTAR and TARUC that are politically affiliated when they now have the option of enrolling in public institutions that are not controlled by any political party?”