JOHOR BARU, Feb 24 — MCA today denied that the delay in naming its candidates for the Johor state election was caused by the party demanding Umno seats.

MCA is the only Barisan Nasional (BN) party to not have finalised its list of candidates yet.

Earlier today, Umno named its 37 candidates and four from MIC. MCA had also been expected to name its 15 candidates, completing BN’s plans to contest all 56 state seats on March 12.

MCA spokesman Mike Chong Yew Chuan said the question of fighting for seats according to the composition of a particular race did not exist.

"This is because each component party is under one umbrella, namely BN, which is fighting for the fate of all the people regardless of race or religion.

"As mentioned by BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the BN candidate announcement here this morning, we wanted to choose the best candidate from among the best for the future stability of Johor,” said Chong in a statement issued here today.

His statement came after Utusan Malaysia published a report blaming MCA’s leadership for the delay in naming its candidates due to its demand for Umno’s predominantly Malay seats.

Chong said the media outlets that published the baseless reports appeared to be attempting to trigger infighting among BN component parties by targeting MCA.

"As an ethical and professional media practitioner, it is better that the report contains solid facts and does not spark speculation merely to create sensational news,” he said.

Chong explained that the MCA’s candidate selection was decided by the top leadership of BN in private and decided by consensus as was practised before.

He said any suggestions or sharing of ideas is something normal in any discussion or meeting, especially those involving important issues such as elections.

"MCA will give its strong and undivided support to all BN candidates contesting the Johor state election this time,” he said, adding that this was done to ensure BN’s victory.

Earlier, the Utusan Malaysia report quoting sources said negotiations between MCA and BN leaders had lasted until 2am today, with no agreement being reached.

It also said the BN candidate announcement event was delayed for this very same reason.