KUALA LUMPUR: Take a day off to celebrate or recover, and then get back to work, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (pic) advises the winners, losers and their supporters in the just concluded MCA elections.

Dr Mah, a cardiologist, was elected the party's deputy president in the elections Sunday (Nov 4), beating Datuk Tee Siew Kiong with a 227 electoral vote majority in a direct fight.

"Elections are just a democratic process to put in place the leadership lineup.

While more challenges are expected as the political scenario in the country evolves, Dr Mah said MCA must, on its own, be an efficient Opposition at this juncture as it was hard to tell what comes next

"There are so many things we have to look at, especially with the new budget and also policy matters," he added.

MCA, a component party of Barisan Nasional, won only one parliamentary seat and two state seats out of the 129 seats contested in the 14th General Election in May 2018. It was MCA's worst outing in its 69-year history.

Barisan meanwhile also lost federal power for the first time since Independence in 1957.

Quoting the phrase, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going," Dr Mah said he was confident that the battered party will be able to soldier on.

"One major aspect is how we put our efforts together and function as a united team," he said.

"They want to see a strong MCA which can put checks and balance in place in the country.

"A number who joined us said they want to see a progressive nation and how they can contribute," he said.

Dr Mah, 53, said MCA welcomed people from all walks of life to join - to strengthen the party and have a shared vision for the country.

-The Star-