KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — MIC will remain in Barisan Nasional (BN) for now, its deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said, but stopped short of ruling out a future move to Perikatan Nasional (PN), according to Free Malaysia Today (FMT).
“We are staying with BN for now,” he said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters today.
Asked if this meant MIC was ruling out joining PN, Saravanan replied: “No, I’m not saying that,” according to the news portal.
Saravanan said recent developments within PN require MIC to reassess its position, particularly following changes in the coalition’s leadership.
“PN has undergone some changes. It was led by Bersatu when we enquired. Now it is led by PAS,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that the party must consider grassroots views and the sentiment of the Indian community before joining a PAS-led coalition.
He also said MIC has not rejected PN outright, noting that earlier discussions with the coalition took place under a different leadership structure.
Saravanan’s remarks came a week after he dismissed claims by PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan that MIC had officially joined the coalition.
Talk of MIC leaving BN has been ongoing since the party’s general assembly in November, when delegates gave the leadership a mandate to consider such a move amid dissatisfaction over the party’s role and relevance, FMT reported.
