Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has asked MCA president Chua Soi Lek not to overstay his welcome as the party's leader.

In a column by Awang Selamat, a pseudonym used by the daily to express its editorial stance, it declared that Chua's era was over.

"The era of Soi Lek has passed. Don't overstay your welcome or in simple words, do not wait until people become disgusted," read the column in Mingguan Malaysia, the daily's weekend edition.

"To Soi Lek, give chance to new faces to lead MCA. The party does not lack leaders," it added.

The newspaper added that Chua should quit blaming others as his leadership was among the factors that led to MCA's failure.

In the 13th general election, MCA saw its parliamentary seat halved for the second time, from 15 to 7. It had 31 parliamentary seat in the 11th general election.