Yes to direct associate, affiliate membership

The Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council today agreed to amend its constitution to introduce direct associate and affiliate membership effective immediately, Prime Minister and BN chairman Najib Tun Razak said.

He said the historic decision reflected BN's efforts to make the coalition inclusive and open to all those who shared in the concept, principles and policy of the ruling party's struggle.

“Those interested to join the BN can apply directly to become associate members. However, the BN supreme council will determine the rights and privileges of those who become associate members.

"Associate members will not have the same rights as the members of component parties but we desire to see the BN as an inclusive party which has an open-door policy," he told reporters after chairing a meeting of the BN supreme council at Menara Datuk Onn, here.

Najib said the BN supreme council also decided that affiliate membership could be applied for directly by any political organisation, association or non-governmental organisation.

"This is one of our efforts, an outreach for groups which wish to cooperate with the BN because they believe in the objectives of the BN struggle," he said.

Najib said any decision henceforth concerning the associate and affiliate membership would be made only by the BN supreme council, as a condition to prevent anyone with any ulterior motive from joining the coalition.

"This is because we cannot specify everything, but we will consider the views of all BN component parties whereby all our decisions will be unanimous in nature," he explained.

Najib said that members of BN component parties would not be allowed to join the BN as associate or affiliate members.

Friends of the coalition

The prime minister said the amendment to the constitution involved the setting up of a BN Friends Club which allowed interested people to become friends of the coalition.

He said the amendment would be gazetted and the Registrar of Societies would be informed of the date of enforcement.

Najib also said that a BN Rakan Muda Club would also be set up with the target group being youths between 18 and 21 who appreciated the BN's struggle and wished to support it although they had yet to be registered as voters.

The prime minister also said that today's BN supreme council meeting was the last for S Samy Vellu, who will be stepping down as MIC president in January, and conveyed his thanks and appreciation for the latter's contribution to the coalition.

Najib said Samy Vellu was a loyal friend of the BN and said he hoped that the former works minister would continue to contribute to the BN for the common interest.

On the BN convention scheduled for Nov 28, Najib said all preparations hadbeen made and the supreme council had decided that its main theme should encompass the concept that the BN placed the people's interest above everything else.

"Our theme must be aligned to the national theme. We place emphasis on the people because the people make up the most important group in a parliamentary democracy," he said.

-Bernama