Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir: MCA takes on DAP’s home turf

MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong calls the Melaka polls 2026 a ‘referendum’ on Pakatan Harapan’s four years in government. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

First Published: Saturday, 31 Oct 2026 4:04 PM MYT

MELAKA, Oct 31 — Two additional state assembly seats to be contested by MCA candidates in the 16th Melaka state election, namely Kota Laksamana and Bandar Hilir, pose a significant challenge for the party to secure the people’s mandate in the state, especially from the Chinese community.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said it serves as a platform to gauge public support for the party because the majority of voters in both constituencies are Chinese, and these seats have been dominated by the DAP for several terms.

Wee, who is also the Ayer Hitam member of parliament and a former transport minister, said that the Melaka state election is likened to a referendum to assess the people’s support for the Pakatan Harapan government, which has been governing the country for almost four years.

“We realise that it is not easy to conquer the two DAP strongholds, but we will work hard to gain the people’s mandate in these areas.

“We will make the best use of this opportunity by mobilising our efforts and machinery to gain the support of the voters,” he said after accompanying the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Kelebang state constituency, Datuk Lim Ban Hong, to the Nomination Centre at the State 

Legislative Assembly Development and Coordination Committee Complex (Japerun).

Commenting on BN’s decision to grant the two additional seats to MCA, Wee said they appreciated the trust and support of the BN leadership as well as the views of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders who deemed MCA suitable to contest and potentially win in those areas.

He said the MCA always pays attention to the people of Melaka, including all the state assembly constituencies under the Kota Melaka parliamentary constituency, even though the area is a stronghold of the DAP.

Meanwhile, he is confident that Lim can retain the Kelebang state assembly seat based on his excellent service record and good relationship with the local community, despite facing a rather intense four-cornered contest.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure that every vote from the people of Kelebang can be secured, thereby strengthening the position of the MCA,” he also said.

The Election Commission (EC) has set November 14 as the polling day for the Melaka state election, while the nomination of candidates is today and early voting is on November 10.

For the latest news on the 16th Melaka state election, visit https://election.bernama.com/prn/melaka/2026/. — Bernama

*Editor’s note: Japerun stands for Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Penyelarasan Dewan Undangan Negeri in Malay.