MCA may become the ninth party to leave the former ruling coalition BN, should the party grassroots deem this necessary.

At a press conference today, former MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu said quitting BN was among the options being considered by the party’s reform committee which was set up after May 9 general election.

"This is one of the options MCA should consider," said the Kluang MCA division chief.

"I am sure it is one of the options. It is mooted by the grassroots. The reform committee is going around the country (getting feedback from the grassroots).

"I have to be fair to them, allow them to go through the process," he said.

Earlier today, Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg announced the dissolution of Sarawak BN and the exit of four component parties from BN.

Read more: The disintegration of BN - from 13 parties to four

The four – Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) – have formed a new state-based alliance called Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).

In May, four BN parties in Sabah quit the opposition coalition. These are Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

Last week, MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong told Sin Chew Daily that the question of MCA quitting BN was no longer important as the coalition had been defeated and only existed in name.

MCA president Liow Tiong Lai had previously stressed in 2017 that the Chinese-based party would continue to stay with BN and play a check-and-balance role.

Opening MCA to non-Chinese?

Besides exiting BN, Gan said the grassroots had also discussed whether the party should be opened to non-Chinese.

"Let the leadership go through the process (of deciding on the matter)," he added.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who has been entrusted with producing proposals to restructure Umno and BN, had previously suggested that Umno should open its membership to all races and religions.

Gan also expressed his interest in contesting in the upcoming party polls, which are slated to be held on Nov 4.

"I am definitely contesting, I am going back to the mainstream of MCA politics. But as to which role and position... at this juncture, it is important to discuss with the party president, deputy president and other leaders," he added.

"The last thing MCA grassroots wants is to see is an open embarrassment due to internal frictions and will further lose the confidence of the public," he explained.

Meanwhile, he said MCA will continue to be relevant if the party can get its act together.

"Some call MCA an irrelevant party but we are not giving up, I think the present leaders are not giving up. The relevancy depends if (as a) political party (it) can get their act together," he said.