IPOH, May 11 — After the 13th general election (GE13), there have been no positive factors that can give victory to MCA in the coming Bukit Gelugor by-election, and this is the main reason why the party decided not to contest in the by-election.

MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said it was therefore better for the party to concentrate on restoration and renewal efforts to strengthen it in facing the next general election.

He said MCA had not only been monitoring and assessing the situation in Bukit Gelugor after the incumbent MP Karpal (Singh) died in an accident but even since the GE13, and after one year, MCA had still not seen any positive factor that could give it a win in the by-election.

Speaking at a Wesak Day celebration here today, he added that MCA would take time to strengthen itself through consolidation and transformation.

Ong said this would be a better step at this point of time, rather than contesting in the by-election for the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary seat where it lost by over 40,000 votes there last year in GE13.

Ong said not contesting in the by-election was a difficult decision to make, but the party had a lot of internal issues to tackle, besides focusing on transformation within.

He said MCA had actually made efforts to identify a suitable candidate (for the by-election) while a number of individuals had offered to contest and the party believed they were committed, but the current situation made it difficult for the party.

Ong said the party had weighed the good and bad in view of Penang being under the opposition’s administration now.

“So, we think it’s better for us to preserve the party’s strength and improve its position so that it will become stronger.”

He said besides that, Barisan Nasional (BN) needed to focus on the Teluk Intan parliamentary seat by-election and as a BN component party, MCA would also be actively involved with the election machinery.

In GE13, the late Karpal Singh won the Bukit Gelugor seat with a 42,706-vote majority, defeating BN candidate Teh Beng Yeam, from MCA. — Bernama