When it comes to BN's downfall, it is Umno that is the 'man in the mirror', as it prioritises its own survival and panders to rural voters in the Malay heartland at the expense of coalition partners.

MCA central committee Ti Lian Ker argued that Umno's penchant to play the "jaguh kampung" (village hero) have caused it, and by extension the BN, to lose out in urban areas.

He said it was of no use if BN remains village heroes, cheering in the boondocks but have to pawn off urban seats in return.

"It is upon this realisation that we need to change, to return BN to the shining standard of the past before Umno leaders started infighting and Umno's survival was prioritised and not the survival of BN as a whole," said Ti.

"If BN is merely a 'jaguh kampung' and loses in the urban areas, this is enough to show that BN has failed to be in sync with or align the party with changes in the attitudes of the Malay, Chinese, Indian and so on in the cosmopolitan areas.

"This failure is BN's failure, not that of the component parties chosen to contest under BN's ticket," said Ti in a statement today.
 

He was responding to lambast from Umno Youth exco Armand Azha Abu Hanifah, as reported by AstroAwani.

 

Armand had hit out at Ti for his earlier comment that if former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad can change tack to suddenly embrace his political nemesis and former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, then Umno too can shift gears and abandon its outdated racial-religous fear-mongering and use of the Chinese as bogeyman to the Malays.

 

The Umno Youth exco pointed out that in the last general election, it was MCA that was nearly wiped out while Umno retained if not increased its legislative representation.

Training his guns on Ti for what he said was uncalled for friendly fire, Armand questioned if MCA has the political standing to say much about Umno's ways, and asked that the Chinese party work to regain Chinese support for the BN instead.

 

Returning fire, Ti argued that Umno harping on BN components' poor performance in the last general election is akin to Umno's coalition partners noting that teh Malay party seems to be a fertile breeding ground for political enemies, with an ex-president, an ex-deputy president, an ex-vice president and others now turned into staunch enemies.

 

However, Ti said that MCA as a party will take note of advice from friends and enemies alike and not jump at each and every criticism sent its way, as the party continue to find ways to win over the votes of Malays, Chinese, Indians and others for the BN.

Though he said that Armand and Umno too must take note and accept that the actions and statements from the Malay party's grassroots and leadership has wide ranging and lasting impact on the BN as a whole.