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Umno credits coalition partners for boosting BN support among minorities

Umno attributes improved Chinese and Indian voter support to stronger ties with coalition partners MCA and MIC, citing gains in recent Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.

LSN Malaysia · 11 September 2026

Umno credits coalition partners for boosting BN support among minorities

Umno Secretary-General Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has acknowledged the contributions of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) in helping the Barisan Nasional recover ground among minority communities in recent electoral contests. The Umno official noted that support among Chinese and Indian voters showed marked improvement during state-level polling in Johor and Negeri Sembilan this year, signalling renewed confidence in the coalition's multiethnic political platform.

The commendation reflects ongoing efforts by Umno and its longstanding coalition partners to rebuild trust with voters from non-Malay communities, following years of political volatility and shifting electoral dynamics. The performance in both states is being viewed as a potential indicator of broader sentiment shifts ahead of future national-level contests.

MCA and MIC, component parties of the Barisan Nasional alliance since its inception, have traditionally served as the coalition's primary vehicles for engaging Chinese and Indian Malaysian voters respectively. The improved showing in the recent contests suggests that coordinated campaigning and messaging by the three parties may be resonating more effectively with minority communities than in recent election cycles.