MCA is looking to field a line-up of young leaders who are fluent in three languages as candidates to regain the people's support in the 16th General Election (GE16).
MCA Youth Information Chief, Neow Choo Seong, said that this approach is important to ensure the party remains relevant in the face of changing voter demographics, especially the young who are now more inclined to evaluate individual credibility rather than the strength of the party alone.
According to him, current politics shows that the people no longer want to be bound by political rhetoric, but instead evaluate the true ability of leaders in bringing policies, ideas and practical solutions.
“We want to go beyond identity politics because the people are fed up with political rhetoric.
“To be an MCA candidate, they not only need to serve at the grassroots level, but also debate and discuss policies in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) and Parliament.
“Among the main criteria set is mastery of three languages, namely Malay as the National language, in addition to English and Chinese, according to local suitability,” he said.
He said efforts to identify and train candidates had been implemented at the central and state levels, including Johor and Melaka, which are expected to face state elections in the near future.
According to him, several series of training had been held involving dozens of participants who were identified as potential, covering aspects of communication, writing, media handling and interaction with the community.
“This training was implemented in stages, and we will continue to make assessments from time to time before determining which candidates are truly worthy of being put forward,” he said. – April 25, 2026
