SARAWAK Barisan Nasional leaders urged the coalition leaders to come clean when discussing seat allocation or matters related to the next general election.

If they wanted the focus to be solely on Umno, then they should say so clearly and not beat around the bush and label such gatherings as a “BN event”.

They were particularly peeved with the BN pre-election machinery briefing at the Putra World Trade Centre over the weekend, which turned to be more of an Umno affair.

James Masing led the charge when he said component leaders attended the meeting thinking it was going to be a BN discussion but Umno took centre-stage instead.

“Just be truthful in what they want to do,” the Sarawak deputy chief minister told The Malaysian Insight. 

“If it’s for BN, which consists of 13 member parties, let’s discuss BN. If it’s for Umno, just say so,” said Masing, who is president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).

“Don’t beat around the bush. We have serious matters to discuss.”

Aside from Umno, representatives from MCA, MIC, Gerakan, Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) and the People’s Progressive Party (MyPPP) attended the event. 

A component leader from Sarawak echoed Masing’s account of the meeting.

“I agree with Tan Sri James Masing’s observations,” said a source from SUPP present at the meeting. 

“Many component party reps attended the meeting expecting to have deeper discussions on the GE14 challenges and strategies.

“But when we arrived there, the session was packed with Umno reps. This was a surprise to other component parties because the number of reps from other parties was restricted.

“Furthermore, the backdrop on stage was the most glaring feature, showing only the top posts of Umno. No component parties were invited to give presentations or inputs,” the SUPP member said.

A PBB senior member, who declined to be named, said Umno should be more sensitive to the feelings of the component parties.

“They should not have made us feel as though we were just there to make up the numbers,” he said.

PBB is a dominant Sarawak party which controls 45 out of the 82 state seats. It comprises of Malays, the Melanau, Dayak and Orang Ulu.

“BN is made up of many component parties.  When it’s a meeting of BN parties, it is suffice to just use the BN logo and the prime minister’s picture to reflect him as the head of the coalition, if placing pictures of all other component party leaders is a handful.

“Do not portray only Umno leaders as it could create unnecessary feelings of unhappiness among other BN component parties,” said the senior PBB official.

SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Hian, PDP secretary-general Anthony Nogeh and PBB leaders who attended the briefing declined to comment when contacted. 

The Malaysian Insight also attempted to contact Sabah BN parties, PBS and Upko, but the leaders declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Gerakan vice-president Dr Dominic Lau said he did not feel sidelined at the meeting.

“I didn’t treat them as Umno leaders, just as BN leaders,” he said when asked to respond to Masing’s complaint that BN component parties were sidelined at the weekend meeting.

“It was like a knowledge-sharing session. If it suits the individual component party then we’ll follow, if it doesn’t, we’ll give feedback.

“It’s close to the elections. The entire BN machinery has to move in the same direction. Everyone should remember our ultimate aim is to win the elections.” – October 24, 2017.