The MCA will field candidates picked by the people in the effort to win back the hearts of the Chinese community in the six months before the 14th General Election, said its president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said MCA always conducted surveys on the candidates who could work and were liked by the local communities to ensure the best decisions could be made for the Chinese community.

"We have short-listed the candidates we have and we are always discussing not only at the state levels but also at the federal level with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"Many issues concerning the Chinese community in Negeri Sembilan can be solved in the spirit of the Barisan Nasional (BN) which we have, although we don't have any representative in the state government," he told reporters after Negeri Sembilan MCA's annual general meeting here today.

Also present were state BN Liaison Committee chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who is also Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar , Negeri Sembilan MCA chairman Datuk Seri Lim Chin Fui and MCA Youth chief Datuk Chong Sin Woon.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said MCA must work hard to ensure society especially the Chinese community felt their presence.

"When we are always in the field and society, people will become comfortable with us, support us and place their confidence in us to form the government.

"The confidence of the people in BN is already high, so we must receive this confidence by working harder and the people will continue to be with us," he said.

-- BERNAMA