Ka Siong said MCA is used to hearing various opinions about the party, adding that it is more important for MCA to focus on winning elections, Utusan Malaysia reported.

“I don’t want to say much because we respect the right to freedom of speech,” he said after opening the Penang MCA convention.

He was responding to the views of analyst Lau Zhe Wei that MCA and MIC cannot do much to help BN regain dominance over the next two or three general elections.

It followed remarks by Umno vice-president Johari Ghani last week that the party would need to go through two or three more general elections before restoring its dominance in national politics.

Ka Siong dismissed criticism of his party saying “even though at times I have been insulted, it was eventually proven that I was right. At least we understand the pulse of the people”.

MCA has two MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and MIC one, while the BN dominant partner Umno has 26.

MCA’s two seats in the Dewan Rakyat are through Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam) and vice-president Wee Jeck Seng (Tanjung Piai).

Ka Siong said he would carry on and would not stop until the people’s issues are resolved.

In his speech at the convention, Ka Siong said MCA needs to prepare more effectively for the coming elections, including identifying potential candidates who are well-received by voters.