“I don’t see the possibility of that happening,” he was quoted as saying after attending a constituency event in Seremban today.

Loke said the merger suggestion, from Kampar MP Chong Zhemin, represented Chong’s personal opinion. It had never been discussed within the party, Sinar Harian quoted him as saying.

“He is free to express his opinion, but firstly, to me, this is not the party’s stance, and secondly, I don’t see the possibility of that happening,” he was quoted as saying.

Chong’s remarks were made amid a slanging match between Umno and Bersatu, during which Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said Umno should be dissolved and absorbed into Bersatu.

Picking up the point, Chong said the idea would be more fitting for MCA which has only two parliamentary seats, both in Malay-majority areas. “Even then, they won only because of support from Umno voters,” he said, adding that MCA should return those seats to Umno.

Chong’s proposal was rejected by MCA Youth information chief Neow Choo Seong, who said the two parties were like oil and water, fundamentally different in ideology and political approach.