MCA And MIC Want To "Move On" From Barisan Nasional
The parties are now open to explore a "new alliance".
By Jia Vern Tham — 04 Mar 2019, 06:13 PM
In a joint statement issued earlier today, 4 March, MCA and MIC revealed that they are now open to "explore a new alliance" following UMNO's silence over racial remarks from Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
"Unfortunately what stood as a brick cemented coalition began to crack when repeated attacks were made to its foundation," the statement read.
"When leaders from component parties began attacking its own coalition members and when public statements were made undermining the spirit and foundation of BN along racial lines, the BN concept and spirit have been undermined and sieged," the parties added.
Both parties also cited the lack of mutual respect among component parties of the coalition.
"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," the parties said in the statement.
The parties were referring to Nazri's remarks during the Semenyih by-election campaign
According to The Malaysian Insight, Nazri had accused the government of giving up Malays' rights to other races during a campaign speech in Semenyih last month.
He also criticised the appointments of Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, Chief Justice Richard Malanjum, and Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng as they are not Bumiputeras nor Malays.
"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 said in the statement.
MCA and MIC also called for the dissolution and/or restructuring of the coalition
"MCA and MIC... are therefore calling for BN's dissolution and/or restructuring to return to its original spirit and intent," the statement read.
The parties also urged the BN supreme council to hold a meeting as soon as possible to decide on the fate of the coalition.
"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," the parties added.
In response to the statement, BN secretary-general Nazri said the parties are free to leave the coalition
"They are free to find new alliances and move on with the other parties that have left Barisan after the 14th General Election... I do not think it is a loss," Nazri was quoted as saying by The Star today.
He added that BN is "prepared" to work with PAS, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma), Makkal Sakti and other parties that share the coalition's vision.