Better Than BFFs: The UMNO-MCA Alliance That’s Survived More Drama Than Your Family WhatsApp Group
As any Malaysian knows, you don’t break up a winning combination – whether it’s nasi lemak with sambal, teh tarik with roti canai, or UMNO with MCA.


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Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi just served a piping hot plate of “not gonna happen” to anyone suggesting MCA’s removal from Barisan Nasional (BN).
Speaking at Parliament today (4 February) with the confidence of someone who just found parking at Mid Valley on the weekend, Zahid dismissed these rumours faster than Malaysians abandoning their diet plans during Ramadan.
The political drama started when MCA President Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong hinted at “outside parties” (read: DAP) pushing for MCA’s exit from BN.
“It never happened (any discussion), only those who daydream would suggest such a thing,” Ahmad Zahid declared, his tone suggesting these rumours had about as much substance as an empty teh tarik promise.
DAP’s Political Pot-Stirring
The whole situation has been bubbling like a pot of sup tulang, with DAP supposedly playing the role of that one aunty who can’t help but stir the political kuah.
But Ahmad Zahid wasn’t buying what they were selling.
The Bagan Datuk MP wrapped up the political wayang by emphasizing that BN’s component parties are sticking together, like mee goreng to a mamak plate – inseparable and time-tested.
UMNO heavyweights Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi and Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan backed their boss, affirming that MCA’s position in BN is more secure than your grandmother’s secret rendang recipe.
Abdul Rahman clarified that no party – not even DAP, which awkwardly serves as both MCA’s longtime rival and current coalition partner – had made such a request
From Alliance to BN: A Tale of Two Parties
MCA and UMNO have been political allies since Malaysia’s independence, first under the Alliance Party and later within BN.
MCA once played the hero during UMNO’s darkest hour – a fact conveniently forgotten by those who mistakenly view MCA as UMNO’s “little brother.”
Truth is, when the chips were down in 1988, MCA proved it was more of a heavyweight than a bantamweight in Malaysian politics.
Back then, when the courts declared UMNO illegal (talk about a plot twist!), then-MCA President Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik stepped up to become BN chairman and de facto prime minister.
When MCA Became BN’s Backbone
This wasn’t just any temporary position – we’re talking about a Malaysian Chinese leader heading Malaysia’s dominant political coalition, something that would make today’s political pundits spill their teh tarik in disbelief.
During this crucial period, while UMNO was scrambling like a mat rempit caught in a roadblock, MCA didn’t just hold the fort – they became the fort.
UMNO heavyweights backing Ahmad Zahid’s statement probably remember how MCA didn’t just preserve BN’s assets but maintained the coalition’s stability during what could have been a complete political meltdown.
That’s not the action of a “little brother” – that’s the move of a political powerhouse that’s as essential to BN as sambal is to nasi lemak.
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