DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has questioned whether MCA is preparing for an even worse electoral performance than in 2013 by scapegoating Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz.

“Is the MCA national leadership preparing the ground for blaming a worse MCA performance in GE14 on Umno, using Nazri as a scapegoat?” Lim asked in a statement today.

He was referring to the ongoing feud between MCA and Nazri that arose after the minister launched a vitriolic attack on business tycoon Robert Kuok – whom the blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin had accused of funding DAP.

Both Kuok and DAP have denied the allegation.

MCA leaders responded to Nazri’s attacks by saying BN could “pay the price” if the minister refused to apologise for his insults against Kuok, which the party claims has irked the Chinese Malaysian community.

In his statement, Lim (photo) noted that it not just Nazri who has to issue an apology, but Umno as a whole, given that other senior party leaders had made “false and baseless” accusations against the Hong Kong-based billionaire.

He also reiterated his point on MCA’s top three leaders being incumbents in Malay-majority constituencies – with MCA president Liow Tiong Lai from Bentong, deputy president Wee Ka Siong from Ayer Hitam and secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan from Tanjong Malim.

“In fact, this applies to six of the seven parliamentary seats won by MCA in the 13th general election, although MCA claims to be the only political party in the country which exclusively represents the Chinese.

“If Umno loses support from the electorate, and is unable to swing Malay voter support for its candidates, let alone the three top MCA leaders... are we going to have a spectacle of MCA blaming Umno for failing to get its leaders elected to Parliament and the cabinet?”

Lim stressed that it would be "unthinkable" if the reverse were true, and the top three Umno leaders had to depend on MCA's Chinese votes to win their seats.