BN secretary-general Annuar Musa has brushed off Umno advisor Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's call for the party's ministers to quit the cabinet after Bersatu decided to open its doors to non-Malay members.
In a series of tweets, Annuar said it's possible that Razaleigh has forgotten that not all Umno and PAS members are Malays or Muslims.
"Maybe Ku Li has forgotten that Umno and PAS have non-Malay, non-Muslim members. Muafakat Nasional's policy and accord are clear, we celebrate Malaysia's racial diversity," he wrote in all caps.
Annuar added that overt racial sentiments were no longer suitable for Malaysian politics.
PAS is known to have Chinese and Indian Muslim members, while it has a supporters wing for non-Muslims.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the issue of resignations over Bersatu's move to be more multi-racial should not arise as BN also comprise non-Malay and non-Muslim components.
"[...] Although we in Umno are a fully Malay-Bumiputera party, our friends in MCA and MIC are Chinese and Indian parties.
"So I believe this issue does not arise," Ismail told reporters in Slim, Perak.
Asked whether Razaleigh's view as a party veteran could confuse its grassroots, Ismail insisted that Umno upholds the freedom for members to air their opinions.
"But a final decision can only be made by the Umno Supreme Council.
"That is his (Razaleigh) personal view, not the party's. The party's view will only be issued after the Supreme Council meeting," he said.
Umno, meanwhile, does have Christian bumiputera from Sabah among its ranks, in addition to members of Indian Muslim descent.
Yesterday, Razaleigh said Bersatu was no longer qualified to be in a "Malay-Muslim pact supported by Muafakat".
Last week, Bersatu had announced plans to set up a chapter that would allow non-bumiputera associate members to hold positions in the party.
The idea to pivot came about following the entry of PKR defector Azmin Ali and his followers into Bersatu on Sunday.
Azmin's followers include a considerable number of non-bumiputera.
Bersatu's move had also irked MIC, who questioned why Azmin's non-Malay followers could not join MIC or MCA. - Mkini
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