TAPAH: Seat negotiations for the six state elections will be finalised by the parties in the unity government by mid-April.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the matter was discussed at the second meeting of the Unity Government Secretariat on March 19.

"We have talked about the seat distribution, and it will be finalised by mid-April. The negotiation process is ongoing and will continue until April.

"We will wait until the negotiations are over because it not only involves the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Now it is more complex as it involves a grand coalition.

"We have BN and we have Pakatan Harapan (PH), so we have to discuss it amicably to show that we are indeed a unity government," Wee told a press conference after opening the Chenderiang assemblyman service centre near Dewan Bukit Pagar here today.

Present were MCA deputy president Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon and Chenderiang assemblyman Choong Shin Heng.

Wee, who is Ayer Hitam member of parliament, said the biggest challenge for all parties would be the negotiation of seats.

"Previously, we had only three people eating nasi ambang on a tray. Now, the number of parties under the unity government is larger. So this is among other things that we need to thoroughly see and discuss."

Asked about the election strategy, Wee said it would be slightly different for the six state polls compared with the 15th General Election (GE15).

"Since the establishment of the unity government, all political games are different too.

"During GE15, foes became friends and friends turned into foes.

"It is important how we move together for these state elections.

"The scenario is no longer the same as before, when we only needed to discuss things among BN component parties. It's more complex now. The spirit of the unity government must be reflected in the six state elections."

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2023/03/893030/wee-unity-government-parties-finalise-seat-negotiations-state-polls-mid