Kepong MP chides ‘fork-tongued’ MCA.
MCA has chosen to stay in Barisan Nasional, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The MCA president said this was to strengthen the multicultural cooperation and to ensure that diversity remained a crux in the opposition.
He revealed that the MCA central committee deliberated on the two options at its five-hour meeting at the party headquarters yesterday.
“We have reached a fork in the road and we can pick only one path,” Dr Wee read out a statement by the central committee.
“The second path is MCA stays in Barisan,” he said of the rationale of yesterday’s decision, which some perceived as “politically incorrect” and detrimental to the party’s popularity.
Earlier this month, Umno and PAS had announced their formal collaboration. But PAS, however, is not joining Barisan Nasional (BN), which now comprises Umno, MCA and MIC.
The MCA central committee yesterday deliberated on the Barisan supreme council meeting on March 8, which did not arrive at a consensus on a resolution by the MCA to dissolve Barisan and form new alliances.
The resolution was adopted at the MCA annual general assembly on Dec 2 last year.
Dr Wee tabled it at the Barisan meeting, chaired by Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and attended by MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran.
The Barisan Constitution requires a consensus among its partners for the dissolution.
Barisan is now down to a three-party coalition, which are its founding parties that gained independence for the country in 1957.
On the latest Umno-PAS collaboration, Dr Wee said: “When a Barisan component party pursues partnership outside the coalition, it must not forget to adhere to the coalition’s code of consensus and diversity.
“Mindfulness of the fundamental differences that exist between PAS, MCA and MIC needs to be taken into consideration for the benefit of the coalition,” he said.
Dr Wee said Umno, MCA and MIC must safeguard the spirit of consensus and the constitution.
“A common consent must exist between opposition parties to put their strengths together for an effective check and balance, especially on the economy that affects the people’s livelihood,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng claimed that the BN party, to begin with, never had the intention to leave the former ruling coalition.
According to Lim, MCA’s declaration did not come as a surprise to many.
“When the resolution (to leave BN) was proposed, Wee and the MCA leadership knew what ending they wanted. It was never their intention to leave but to continue to hoodwink the people to buy time.
“The only fork in the road is the forked tongue coming out of MCA’s mouth,” Lim said.
MCA and MIC had previously said that they were “moving on” from BN to explore new alliances.
The two parties had accused Umno of violating consensus in the coalition, including on the appointment of Nazri Aziz as its secretary-general.
Acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan subsequently convened a BN supreme council meeting, which had not been in session since the coalition’s defeat in the last general election.
Related reports:
Mar 11, MCA Grassroots Upset with Party’s BN Flip-Flop
Mar 8, MCA, MIC Remain in BN
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