Noor Azleen Ambros said Chong failed to see the bigger picture.

“Does he think that Umno likes to play second fiddle (to Pakatan Harapan)? Definitely not,” the Johor Umno Youth chief told FMT, referring to the alliance between PH and BN in the unity government.

Azleen said he understood MCA’s frustrations, noting that with the exception in Johor, none of the party’s elected representatives held posts in the federal and state governments.

But he said MCA must appreciate the fact that Umno, too, had its own challenges it had to deal with.

“The reality is that after almost two-and-a-half years of forming the federal government with PH, Umno has not fully recovered.

“Umno is still not able to unite the Malays under its own big umbrella. It takes time to fully recover,” he said.

Azleen said it was hoped that MCA was also working towards wooing the Chinese community back to its fold.

He said MCA must continue to have faith in BN’s multiracial model.

“As part of the BN coalition, MCA must believe that BN is still the best formula to govern this multiracial country. Umno cannot be the government alone, neither MCA nor MIC alone. It has to be a multiracial coalition like BN,” he said.

He also said BN’s track record proved that its formula worked well for the country.

“But if MCA starts losing faith with BN, what is the alternative and what is the message that MCA is trying to send to the majority of Malaysians who want to see progress and a moderate Malaysia?”

Last night, Chong called on the party to take charge of its own future if BN continues to delay making clear decisions regarding its direction, according to Sin Chew Daily.

Speaking at the opening of the Selayang MCA division’s 2025 annual general meeting, he said MCA had already given BN more than two years to recalibrate after GE15, but the coalition’s ongoing indecision has left MCA members frustrated and uncertain.

Chong also lamented that the party had been sidelineed.