Barisan Nasional (BN) needs to maintain its spirit of comradeship in order to face challenges ahead of the Kajang by-election, said Puteri Umno chief Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

She said whether the candidate is from MCA, Umno or other BN component parties, Puteri Umno hoped it will not stop them from being united.

"I leave it to BN's supreme council to decide because some say MCA should contest, some say Umno should. These opinions will be discussed by the BN supreme council," she told a news conference after attending a special briefing on the Kajang by-election with the Hulu Langat Umno machinery in Kajang today.

Meanwhile, in Penang, the state MCA sugggested that the BN hold detailed negotiations in selecting a candidate to go up against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in the Kajang by-election.

Pakatan Rakyat has announced that Anwar, the de facto leader of PKR, will be their candidate for the by-election.

State MCA adviser Loh Hock Hun said talks between BN component parties need to be done to determine if the candidate will be from MCA or Umno although the seat belonged to the MCA.

"We (BN) are like siblings and have respect for one another, and what is most important is that BN's candidate is victorious," he told reporters after the party's Tanjung division Chinese New Year open house today.

- Bernama