MCA Leader Questions Alleged UMNO-PAS Understanding in Negeri Sembilan By-Election Campaign

KUALA LUMPUR: An MCA leader has publicly questioned claims of an alleged understanding between UMNO and PAS during the campaign for the Negeri Sembilan by-election, calling on party leaders to clarify Barisan Nasional’s (BN) position on any form of cooperation with the Islamist party.

In a Facebook post, Saw Yee Fung said she was confused by what she described as conflicting messages from BN leaders regarding the coalition’s relationship with PAS.

She noted that during the recent Johor state election campaign, BN leaders had repeatedly insisted that there was no cooperation with PAS, urging voters to support Barisan Nasional to prevent what they described as the “green wave”.

“In Johor just a week ago, I repeatedly told voters that we were not working with PAS and that they should vote for Barisan Nasional to stop the green wave,” she wrote.

However, Saw claimed that during campaign events for the Negeri Sembilan by-election, BN leaders later spoke of an understanding with “friends”, while PAS leaders reportedly confirmed that cooperation between UMNO and PAS existed.

The MCA leader questioned whether any such political understanding had been discussed or endorsed by MCA, including its top leadership, and sought greater transparency on the matter.

She also raised concerns over the party’s long-standing principles, particularly its commitment to secularism and democratic values, asking whether those principles were still being upheld.

“Where is the red line? What principles are we still defending?” she asked in her post.

Saw said she could not support what she viewed as a political approach focused primarily on winning elections or securing political power at the expense of core values.

“I have my own political ideals, and I cannot agree with this,” she added.

As of now, MCA and Barisan Nasional have not issued any official statement responding to the concerns raised by Saw Yee Fung regarding the alleged understanding between UMNO and PAS during the Negeri Sembilan by-election campaign.