KUALA LUMPUR: MCA's immediate concern is how to reform the 69-year-old party and not if it should leave the Barisan Nasional coalition, says Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic).

The party president said on Saturday (June 23) that MCA's reform committee, headed by his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, would come up with a report soon on the party's new direction.

He said the report will be presented to the MCA central committee and the party's annual general assembly scheduled for early December will decide what the next step will be.

Liow was commenting on Gerakan's departure from the Barisan coalition, and added that he respected the party's decision.

With Gerakan's departure, 10 out 13 Barisan component parties have left the coalition after its GE14 defeat.

Barisan now comprises Umno, MCA and MIC – the three founding parties of the Alliance which fought and gained independence for then-Malaya in 1957.

The coalition, which was renamed as Barisan Nasional later, expanded and ruled the country for 61 years.

MCA won one parliamentary seat, Umno won 54 seats and MIC won two seats out of the 222 parliamentary seats in GE14.