MCA and MIC are exploring their political options following recent racial remarks by Barisan Nasional secretary-general Nazri Aziz during the Semenyih by-election campaign.
“When there is no mutual respect and there is breach of unity within the component parties of BN, the very foundations of BN have been challenged and threatened,” said MCA president Wee Ka Siong and MIC president S.A. Vigneswaran in a joint statement today following a meeting.
“Nazri’s repeated racial remarks, perceived to be from Umno, and its continued silence has cracked the foundation of mutual respect that BN has stood for all this while.
“MCA and MIC are, therefore, left with no choice but to move on to explore a new alliance to reflect the true intentions of unity in diversity of its original intent,” they said.
The statement comes as PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed that the Islamist party and BN lynchpin party Umno are to meet on Thursday to explore ways to formalise their working relationship in a new Malay-Muslim pact.
He has also not ruled out the possibility of both parties using a common symbol in the next general election.
During a campaign speech in Beranang, Semenyih, last month, Nazri accused the Pakatan Harapan government of surrendering Malays’ rights to other races.
He also criticised the appointments of Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, Chief Justice Richard Malanjum and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, saying they are not Bumiputeras or Malays.
In their statement today, Wee and Vigneswaran said Nazri’s racial remarks are “uncalled for” and have further damaged ties between BN’s three founding parties – Umno, MCA and MIC.
“MCA and MIC, being representatives of their respective communities, acknowledge that the metamorphosis of BN to its present form has been rejected by their communities, and are therefore calling for its dissolution and/or restructuring to return to its original spirit and intent.”
They said BN was formed to promote unity in diversity.
“BN was carved by our founders, who piloted the coalition to promote political unity, stability and harmony in a multiracial nation.
“When leaders from component parties begin attacking their own coalition members, and public statements undermining the spirit and foundation of BN along racial lines are made, the BN concept and spirit have been undermined and sieged.”
They urged the BN supreme council to hold a meeting immediately, to decide the fate of the coalition.
At its annual general assembly on February 12, MCA resolved to moot BN’s dissolution.
‘Moving on’ can also mean expelling Umno from BN – source
A senior BN party source involved in the negotiations between MCA and MIC on their future in BN said “moving on” did not necessarily mean the two parties would quit BN.
Instead, the source suggested that the two parties could instead expel Umno from BN.
“Why should MCA and MIC quit BN? We can expel Umno from BN because we are two parties while Umno is just one.
“Umno may be stronger in the Dewan Rakyat but in BN, MCA and MIC are stronger,” the source told Malaysiakini when contacted.
The source was asked to clarify what MCA and MIC meant by “moving on” as their joint statement today did not explicitly that they were quitting BN.
“For now, we don’t want to reveal much. This is not an issue that can be resolved in a day or two.
“It can be a new coalition or it can be a BN 2.0. Wait and see,” said the source.
The source was present during the MCA-MIC meeting (above) this afternoon at Corus Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
MCA president Wee Ka Siong and MIC president SA Vigneswaran, in a joint statement after the meeting, said the two parties were exploring a new coalition.
They complained that the spirit of BN’s foundation had been undermined, citing, among others, BN secretary-general Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s racial comments during the Semenyih by-election.
“MCA and MIC are therefore left with no choice but to move on to explore a new alliance to reflect the true intentions of unity in diversity in its original intent,” they said. – mkini
the malaysian insight / mkini
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