The Umno Supreme Council member said seats were not the main issue and, in fact, could not be discussed openly because it required the nod from Barisan Nasional President Najib Razak.
“What we can discuss in the open is whether or not we can win. The request for seats is secondary. What is most important is the guarantee to bring home the win.
“Many people are talking about wanting seats which we can talk about, but what about the guarantee for a win? Don’t just ask for seats if you can’t win,” he told FMT.
Previously, MCA President Liow Tiong Lai said MCA had already finalised its candidates for the 14th General Election (GE14) as a first step to regain seats that it did not win in the last general election.
Liow, who is also transport minister, said MCA would ask Umno to return the three parliament seats that used to be theirs — in Kuantan, Gelang Patah and Wangsa Maju.
Liow said MCA would work hard to win back the support of the Chinese community through their services for the people, including in areas which MCA lost in the previous GE.
In GE12, the MCA candidate for the Kuantan seat, Star Media Group Chairman Fu Ah Kiow, lost to PKR candidate Fuziah Salleh who won with a majority of 1,826 votes.
In GE13, Umno borrowed MCA’s seat to field Mohamed Suffian Awang, but Fuziah was not only able to hold the seat for the second term but also won with a much higher majority of 4,515 votes.
In 2008, MCA candidate Tan Ah Eng, who contested in Gelang Patah, managed to hold the seat for the second term against the PKR candidate.
However, in 2013, after Umno took over, the seat was won by DAP Adviser Lim Kit Siang even after Umno fielded Abdul Ghani Othman, who was then Johor Menteri Besar.
The same thing happened in the Wangsa Maju parliamentary seat when Umno candidate Shafie Abdullah lost to PKR candidate Tan Kee Kwong with a majority of 5,511 votes.