A UMNO leader has urged its Barisan Nasional (BN) partners, MCA and MIC, not to abandon old partners just for the sake of short-term gains.
“Just because you’re stuck with one or two parliamentary seats, you want to find a new friend, who will only act like a ‘big brother’.
“Remember, when Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) split, six of its founding members formed Pejuang, Muda and the other became an independent.
“Only seven MPs from Bersatu now are its founding members. In reality, the party was saved by the ‘frog cluster’, which enabled them to become the ‘big brother’ in Perikatan Nasional,” said Umno supreme council member Datuk Puad Zarkashi in a Facebook post.
In the recently concluded MIC annual general meeting (AGM), party president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran had announced that the party will continue supporting Perikatan, pending a decision from the BN supreme council.
Yesterday, MIC vice president Datuk T Mohan said that Umno must make up its mind, whether it wished to be part of the ruling Government or otherwise.
“Sometimes, I just don’t understand Umno. If you don’t support Perikatan, then don’t be part of it. Simple as that.
“As for MIC, our stand is very clear. We support Perikatan because MIC is part of the Government. At the same time, we’re part of BN.
“If BN decides to leave Perikatan, we will follow the decision accordingly,” he told FocusM.
On that note, Puad claimed that Umno has never behaved like a “big brother” in BN, which was proven by coalition’s long tenure in running the country.
“And our partners were offered to contest in Malay majority seats like Ayer Hitam and Tenggaroh.
“Umno has always respected the social contract by retaining the vernacular schools. In fact, we even came up with the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) in 2016,” said the former deputy minister.
Training his guns against Perikatan, Puad said that Umno would have no qualms supporting the coalition if its head-honcho, Bersatu, treated the party as an equal.
“Instead, Umno is treated like a ‘step-brother’. So, I urge MIC and MCA to be wary of Bersatu,” the former MP remarked. – April 6, 2021.
