NAZRI TO JUMP SHIP? RUMORS SWIRL AS UMNO CALLS MEETING TO DECIDE ON BN’S FATE TODAY – DEFENDS ‘OUTSPOKEN’ RENGAS MP’S LOYALTY TO PARTY

THE Umno Supreme Council will meet today to deliberate the future of Barisan Nasional after MCA and MIC’s repeated calls for the dissolution of the former ruling coalition.

Umno Supreme Council member Armand Azha Abu Hanifah urged all parties to be patient while the party’s leadership studies the recent joint-statement by MCA and MIC threatening to leave BN.

“The Supreme Council will convene today to discuss this. I ask everyone to be patient and steadfast until the meeting ends,”  he told The Malaysian Insight.

MCA and MIC voiced their unhappiness over the recent remarks by BN secretary-general Nazri Abdul Aziz during the Semenyih by-election campaign.

In a joint statement, MCA and MIC leaders Wee Ka Siong and S. A. Vigneswaran said Nazri’s comments reeked of racism, adding that his words challenged and threatened the coalition.

The parties then said the lack of mutual respect shown by Nazri left them no choice but to explore a new alliance.

The BN coalition, which went into the 14th general election with 13 component parties, is only left with three members – Umno, MCA and MIC.

This is after 10 members – four from Sabah and four from Sarawak – left the coalition after the 14th general election.

Gerakan and MyPPP also left BN.

MCA and MIC also said Nazri’s appointment as BN secretary-general was invalid under the coalition’s constitution and threatened not to attend Friday’s BN meeting if he insisted on being present as secretary-general.

Nazri said yesterday he did not want to be a stumbling block and will not attend the meeting.

Armand, who is also Subang Umno division chief, defended Nazri as being merely being outspoken, but said what is more important is his loyalty to Umno.

“He has not jumped to another party. He still contributed one parliamentary seat to BN in GE14.  

“Be patient. Let the leadership find the best solution for BN and Umno,” said Armand.

Cracks between BN’s three founding members – Umno, MCA and MIC – became increasingly visible following the coalition’s GE14 defeat last May.

Umno has chosen to team up with PAS and the Malay-Muslim parties’ cooperation in the recent Cameron Highlands and Semenyih by-elections has led to BN victories.

On Tuesday, Umno and PAS said they have formed a technical committee to forge a common front in their quest to unite the Malay-Muslims. The committee will be jointly chaired by vice-presidents from both parties.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT