Party president Wee Ka Siong said MCA was hoping the seat talks would be based on the spirit of togetherness under the unity government.

“I think among the biggest challenges (facing parties) is how to manifest this spirit of togetherness in our seat talks.

“Once these talks are completed, then the respective parties will know how to face their grassroots,” he told reporters after voting in the Johor Bahru MCA division election here today.

He was responding to a question on MCA’s readiness to help the unity government’s party machinery in the state polls, speculated to be held by August.

Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to dissolve their state assemblies by early July.

Wee urged parties in the unity government not to get carried away by declaring their hold on certain seats even before the seat negotiations were finalised.

“No parties should claim that certain seats belong to them when negotiations are not completed yet.

“A true test of leaders’ maturity is when the spirit of the unity government is translated in the seats up for grabs in the state elections,” he added.