Leaders hear MCA, MIC complaints, no consensus on dissolving BN as Umno and MIC both did not agree to disband the coalition.
MCA and MIC will remain with Barisan Nasional (BN) despite stating last week that they are looking at their future options, including dissolving the former ruling coalition.
There is no consensus to dissolve BN as a coalition, says Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan during a press conference after the Barisan supreme council meeting on Friday (March 8).
Mohamad said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had tabled the party’s resolution during the coalition’s supreme council meeting.
“We have not come to a consensus on the resolutions tabled by MCA, but we have taken serious note on it.
“As such, we have decided to form a technical committee to see the grievances faced by the component parties and see how to resolve it,” he said.
In December last year, the MCA central committee stated that it had met and unanimously resolved to affirm the resolutions passed at the party’s 65th General Assembly on Dec 2.
Among the resolutions passed was to request the dissolution of BN.
Mohamad added that even MIC had voiced out the issues faced when BN was still the ruling government.
Asked as to why a consensus could not be reached, Mohamad said both Umno and MIC did not see a need to dissolve Barisan.
“We (as a coalition) have a lot of history and contributed a lot to the nation,” he added.
This week, Umno announced its “marriage” to PAS, following several by-elections in which both worked successfully together.
Umno and PAS are attempting to take over Putrajaya from Pakatan Harapan by crafting an ultra-conservative communal platform that they hope would appeal to Malay-Muslims who make up more than 60% of the electorate, according to The Malaysian Insight.
News portal Free Malaysia Today reported that Wee, meanwhile, said MCA had no problem working with anyone, including PAS, as long as the cooperation is on matters which do not go against the constitution and which bring about good for the people.
He and MIC president SA Vigneswaran said it was clear that Umno’s cooperation with PAS was on the opposition front and had nothing to do with the Islamist party joining BN.
Vigneswaran, too, said MIC had no issues working with PAS.
Related reports:
Feb 26, Taunted to Quit BN, MCA Calls for Nazri’s Sacking Instead
Feb 8, MCA Denies Avoiding BN Supreme Council Meetings
Dec 10, Nazri: If MCA Leaves Us, I Think You Can Tell Them to Rest in Peace
Dec 3, Umno Deputy President Tells MCA to Just Get Out of BN
Sept 24, MCA: We Can Kick Umno Out of BN