Its fortunes fluctuated after the establishment of other political parties in the 1960s that challenged it for the Chinese votes, although it still enjoyed strong support in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s period.

[7] The Malayan Chinese Association was formed on 27 February 1949 with the implicit support by the post-World War II British colonial administration.

A central purpose of the MCA at the time of its founding was to manage the specific social and welfare concerns of the populations interned in the so-called New Villages created under the Briggs Plan in response to the Malayan Emergency.

[8][9] The declaration that announced the MCA as a formal political party in 1951 was written by a prominent Straits Chinese businessman, Tan Cheng Lock, its first president.

In general, its early members were landowners, businessmen, or otherwise better off, while the working classes in the New Villages overwhelmingly joined the Socialist Front instead.

[11] In 1952, MCA joined force with United Malays National Organisation on a local level to contest the Kuala Lumpur municipal elections which would lead to the formation of the Alliance Party.

[14] Prior to the 1959 General Election, Lim pressed for an increase of the allocated number of seats from 28 to 40, but this was refused by UMNO leader Tunku Abdul Rahman.

[25] On 8 April 1974, prior to the general election, Tan Siew Sin resigned all of his party and government posts for health reasons.

Lee accepted a challenge from the opposition Democratic Action Party which taunted the MCA's leadership for not daring to contest a seat with large urban Chinese majority, and contested the parliamentary seat for Seremban against the incumbent DAP Chairman Chen Man Hin.

[28][29] After the success in the election and at the height of his career, Lee San Choon unexpectedly resigned his presidency and cabinet post for unspecified reason in 1983.

[31][32] However, in the following year, he was charged with abetting criminal breach of trust relating to his private business dealings in Singapore, and resigned from the presidency.

He assumed the presidency when the party was still rife with factionalism and faced disillusionment with the Chinese community over the Deposit-Taking Cooperatives scandal.

[35] Ling spent his early years as president working to resolve MCA's financial problems, raising funds while restructuring the party's assets.

[36] Ling presided over a period of relative peace within the party, and worked to maintain the interests of the Chinese community through a closed-door approach within the government.

[38][39] MCA also performed well in the 1999 general elections, and the successive electoral victory boosted the party's standing within the Barisan Nasional coalition as well as Ling's personal relationship with BN leader and prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Deputy president Lim Ah Lek announced his intention to retire as a minister and agreed with Ling to nominate his protégé Chan Kong Choy to the Cabinet after the 1999 elections.

[37][41] Tensions flared further after MCA, through its holding company Huaren, moved to acquire the independent daily Nanyang Siang Pau.

[37] The Ong-Chan leadership continued the soft approach to protecting the Chinese community's interests,[37] although tension with UMNO over racial issues flared up now and again after the 2004 election.

[48] In early 2008, vice-president and Health Minister Chua Soi Lek, a prominent Johor member, was involved in a sex scandal.

[52] After the 2008 leadership change, factional infighting continued and the relationship between the Ong Tee Keat and Chua Soi Lek remained tense.

[55] Ong refused to resign despite the vote of no confidence, but pledged with Chua to set aside their differences under the "greater unity plan.

[62][63] MCA's poor performance in the two elections, along with continued factionalism, raised concerns over the party's relevance in the Malaysian political arena.

Wee Ka Siong was elected president on 4 November 2018 while Liow decided not to stand for party polls after his defeat.

Central Committee Members: Nationalism (Mínzú) Democracy (Mínquán) Socialism (Mínshēng) MCA currently has two MPs in the House of Representatives.