PETALING JAYA: Chinese Malaysians cannot change the ruling government in the 14th General Election without the support of the majority ethnic group, said former MCA president Tan Sri Dr Chua Soi Lek (pic).

In an interview with a news portal, Dr Chua said the local Chinese community make up only 23% of the population and thus would not be able to change the government on their votes alone.

He said despite a "Chinese tsunami" in the 2013 elections that saw the Chinese support for Barisan Nasional shifting to the opposition, Malaysia was still in a "Malays first" paradigm.

"How do we change the government just by Chinese votes? We are nothing but 23% of the population… Most Malays from the older generation to the middle-aged see Umno as the party that stands for their status and religion. This is a fact that can't be changed," Dr Chua was quoted as saying.

The former health minister advised Chinese voters, who make up 29.68% of the voting population, to cast their ballots wisely given their minority status.

He said if every Chinese voter were to support the opposition, the Chinese community would have no representatives in government.

Dr Chua added that Malay leaders understood the strength of the Malay vote and thus focused on the Malay community in their policies.

"All Malays want to enjoy special Malay rights. Non-bumiputra parties fight and quarrel but still stay in the same bubble; no matter how you oppose each other internally, we still have to accept the political reality that the country is governed by Malays," he said.