KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties failed to reach a consensus to dissolve the coalition, following an almost three hour-long meeting today.
Acting BN chairman, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said MCA’s resolution for the dissolution of the coalition was not agreed to by its two other component parties, Umno and MIC, and that as such, BN would remain.
“No consensus was reached in today’s BN supreme council meeting regarding MCA’s resolution to dissolve BN. We are very much intact.
“Although the proposal was made by MCA, but MIC and Umno felt that there was no need for the coalition to be dissolved,” he told a press conference, here today.
Also present were MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and MIC president Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran.
Mohamad said instead, the coalition would set up a technical committe soon to iron out all the grievances raised by the component parties, and look into restructuring BN’s strategies in facing the 15th General Election.
MCA had, during its 65th general assembly on Dec 2 last year, unanimously passed a resolution to empower its central committee to begin the process of the dissolution of BN and forming a new alliance.
Its party president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong had said that BN suffered significantly following its GE14 defeat, and that every component party needed a reassessment to transform their respective parties.
Mohamad, who is also Umno acting president, put to bed any possibility that MCA and MIC would be leaving BN following their statement on Monday that they were exploring new alliances.
“They never said they wanted to leave,” he said.
On Umno’s alliance with Islamist party PAS, Mohamad said both MCA and MIC had no issues with it, and that they fully supported whatever decisions were being made by member parties.
“We have discussed the matter, and they accept our decision (to cooperate with PAS). They know if Umno and PAS unite, it will only bring good to BN, because we’ll be able to garner more Malay votes.
“So there’s nothing wrong if this alliance can bring benefit to the coalition,” he said, while stressing that there were no plans to have PAS join BN as a member of the coalition.
