Nazri: If MCA leaves BN, you can tell them to rest in peace

MCA has yet to officially notify BN of its wish to disband the opposition coalition, BN secretary-general Nazri Abdul Aziz said today. 

This despite MCA passing a resolution calling for the dissolutionof BN during its annual general assembly nine days ago. 

As Nazri told Malaysiakini, BN has not fixed a date for its next supreme council meeting to discuss the matter.

"(We only) read about in the newspapers, (MCA has) not written to us," he said.

Despite calls for it to quit BN, MCA authorised its central committee to pave the way for the dissolution of the coalition and forge its own alliance.

'Why not the easy way out?'

According to Nazri, however, MCA could have opted for the easy way out – by simply quitting BN – instead of choosing the more difficult option of disbanding the coalition. 

This, he said, was because the party is fully aware that it cannot survive without Umno. 

"If you are not happy with BN, just leave like Gerakan did, why make it difficult? You know that we do not want to dissolve BN.

"I think they are scared to leave because Umno is stronger without them, that's a fact," he said.

"If MCA leaves us, I think you can tell them to rest in peace.

"I was made to understand that the grassroots wanted to leave, but they hijacked the issue from the grassroots and changed the resolution," he added. 

At present, BN comprises Umno, MCA, MIC, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) and MyPPP, although the status of the latter is still unclear.

After the resolution was passed, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that MCA has no right to unilaterally decide on BN's fate. 

His deputy Mohamad Hasan, meanwhile, said that MCA remaining in BN was actively hampering the coalition's efforts as rejuvenation. - Mkini