JEMPOL - MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon thinks it will be difficult for the component parties of the unity government - Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) - to win in Kedah in the upcoming state elections.
It would be an uphill battle, despite not being impossible, as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
"So I think it would be better to defend the three states: Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.
"As I said earlier (in my speech), too much attention is given to Kedah, especially against caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
"PN has successfully expanded into many areas in Selangor. They seem to be targeting Selangor as it drives the country's economic growth," he said when met by reporters at the Rompin MCA Operations Room here on Thursday.
Also present was the BN candidate for the Jeram Padang seat Datuk Mohd Zaidy Abdul Kadir.
Chong said PN has no issue defending Kedah; therefore, BN-PH, in the last 24 hours, should focus more on defending Selangor.
"In Negeri Sembilan, we are confident due to strong Umno support in the last election.
"However, we are concerned about the transferability of votes from BN to PH in mixed Malay, Indian, and Chinese areas.
"Whether we win big or small depends on the outcome of the battle in the mixed area.
"Although the Chinese community is supportive, we are unsure about the support of the Malay community.
"The challenge is that it is easier for PH to transfer their votes to BN because PH is the 'fixed deposit' of Chinese votes," he said.
He added that the Chinese community does not have many options.
"They will not vote for Perikatan Nasional (PN) because Pas is there, so it is very likely that if they go out to vote, they will vote for PH, BN. So it is easy for them to transfer that vote to BN.
"We must be honest; transferring our votes to PH is challenging. Regardless, all BN component parties, including MCA and MIC, have already done their best. Even though we're not contesting, we are helping our BN candidates to win," he said.
Six states will participate in the upcoming state polls: Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Terengganu, Kedah, and Kelantan. PN won Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah in the previous elections.