KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 — MIC Central Working Committee member P. Punithan said the future of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition lies with component parties MIC and MCA instead of Umno.
He said this was because Umno has ignored MIC and MCA and was more keen for an Umno-PAS unification instead of BN-PAS cooperation.
Punithan said lately Umno has been working without the consensus of its formal partners, including the appointment of BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.
“The MIC leadership must realise it is time we determine the party’s direction in BN. Are we aware that no action has been taken against the BN secretary-general who issued race-sensitive statements which is detrimental to BN coalition partners?
“Where was BN’s consensus in appointing the BN secretary-general? Was the appointment discussed with other BN partners? The reality is that now BN’s fate must be determined by MIC and MCA instead of Umno,” Punithan said in a statement today.
He questioned BN’s relevancy in light of Umno’s leaders who were more interested in working together with PAS even though it’s a temporary political gimmick while the cooperation between Umno, MIC and MCA in the past was due to patriotism and to achieve independence.
The MIC strongman criticised Umno leadership, saying that they have forgotten the coalition’s original intentions for temporary political gain.
He said if BN wants to continue cooperating with PAS it should form a more permanent partnership which is more futuristic, pragmatic and is based on national unity.
Punithan said the current strategy of BN cooperating with PAS stemmed from the Islamist party’s own support for MIC during the recent Cameron Highlands by-election.
“This was the strategy that helped BN win two by-elections. Therefore MIC should not remain silent. I request that the MIC leadership act quickly and decide the future of the party,” he said.
