KUALA LUMPUR – Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has urged MIC and MCA to remain in the coalition, telling component parties unhappy with BN’s direction to “stop sulking” and not walk away.
The Umno president said BN’s decision to join the unity government in the national interest had strained ties within the coalition, with some parties contemplating an exit.
“It has reached a point where some have decided to leave, while others are sulking and thinking of going elsewhere,” he said in his opening address at the 79th Umno General Assembly today, reported the New Straits Times (NST).
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, was speaking in the presence of MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan. Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Datuk Seri Dr Arthur Joseph Kurup was also present.
Citing the Malay proverb “sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit”, Zahid likened the tensions to disputes among those who are close.
“Let us not go there. Let us embrace one another. Sulking for a while is fine, but please do not continue sulking,” he said, adding that BN leaders were weary of having to persuade dissenting partners.
“Come back and sit in the big house. We are comrades in BN,” he said, further thanking Wee and Saravanan for attending the assembly.
Relations among BN components have been strained since last year, after several MIC branches passed motions to cooperate with Perikatan Nasional. Saravanan has said MIC is expected to decide as early as February whether it will leave BN.
MCA, meanwhile, has passed a resolution to quit BN if any component works with DAP in the next general election. – January 16, 2026