PETALING JAYA: MCA’s use of its own logo in the upcoming Balakong state by-election does not signal the end of the Barisan Nasional, says its deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad, who is Umno deputy president, said it was in fact a Barisan effort to strengthen itself following the defeat of the coalition in GE14.
“From there (the outcome of the by-election), we can do research and analysis to determine the strength of the party which uses its own logo.
“If the component party is strong, then the Barisan will also be strong. There is no question of a split in Barisan.
“Perhaps, the Barisan name may be changed. We will consider that,” he said after a Barisan supreme council meeting at PWTC yesterday.
From 13 component parties before the general election, the Barisan is now only left with Umno, MCA and MIC.
Mohamad said MCA had written officially to the Barisan headquarters seeking to use the party’s own logo in the Balakong by-election.
MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said last Friday that the move to use the party own logo was in line with the party’s decision to “reform, walk its own path and walk the path for all” after GE14.
Balakong, a Chinese-majority state seat in Selangor with over 60% Chinese voters, fell vacant after its DAP assemblyman Eddie Ng Tien Chee died in a traffic accident on July 20.
Mohamad said the meeting also agreed that Barisan stay out of the Seri Setia by-election to make way for PAS to take on Pakatan Harapan in a straight fight.
“We decided on this after taking into consideration that PAS stayed out of the recent Sungai Kandis by-election,” he said.
Nomination for both state seats will be on Aug 18 while polling will be held on Sept 8.
On another matter, MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker lashed out at DAP’s Nga Kor Ming for comparing the MCA emblem to a durian, adding that it was akin to insulting the Jalur Gemilang.
He said this is because MCA derived its logo from the 14-point star in the national flag.
He added that MCA is the only political party in Malaysia to base the design of its flag on the national flag, thus assimilating it with the national symbol.
“The MCA party flag, which was designed in the 1950s by Mok Yuen and Kean Chai Seng, was flown for the very first time during the national day parade held at Bukit Mertajam in 1958, the year after Malaya’s independence,” said Ti.
Touched by the active participation by the Chinese Malayans in nation building, Mok and Kean took the nine-point star – which was later changed to 14 points after Malaysia was formed – at the top left quarter of the Jalur Gemilang to be part of MCA’s flag.
Nga, who is Perak DAP chief and also Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker, made the “durian logo” comment following MCA’s decision to use its own blue-and-yellow logo to contest in the Balakong by-election.
Ti said as Malaysians celebrate Merdeka Day under a new Government, the last thing Malaysians would have expected was for DAP to “rocket down” the Jalur Gemilang.
In response to MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong’s call for him to apologise, Nga said in a statement that different people would have different interpretations on whether MCA logo resembles a durian.
-The Star-
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