THE way forward for Barisan Nasional now is to rebrand and regroup with new allies, said Nazri Aziz.

The newly minted BN secretary general said the coalition has been in power since 1974 and changing its name was the right thing to do.

“It was in power for 44 years. It was the replacement for the Alliance which had outgrown its usefulness after the 1969 general election.

“Razak did the right thing when he rebranded the three-party Alliance and created the Barisan Nasional. It is the logical thing to do now,” said Nazri.

The Alliance lost its two-thirds majority and the Perak, Penang and Selangor governments at the May 10 poll in 1969.

After taking over as prime minister, Abdul Razak brought Gerakan and PAS into the new grand coalition which named itself Barisan Nasional and adopted the scales or dacing as its symbol.

Nazri, a former Umno supreme councillor, also pointed to Pakatan Harapan to drive home his point about regrouping and rebranding.

“PH was never PH. It started as Barisan Alternatif. It broke up to regroup as Pakatan Rakyat. It disbanded again and morphed into Pakatan Harapan. This idea to regroup with new members is not new,” he said.

The BA and Pakatan Rakyat broke up after member parties DAP and PAS could not agree on common policies.

The former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister said he was the first secretary-general who is also not the Umno secretary general.

“I am nobody in Umno. I don’t hold any post. Moreover, it will help address the complaint that the coalition is controlled by Umno and there is no space for dissent from component parties,” he said.

Nazri’s appointment was announced yesterday by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the MIC general assembly.

Nazri began his career in Umno in the 1970s as a member of its youth wing.

“I was inducted into the youth wing by its then chief, Suhaimi Kamaruddin. There were not that many Malay lawyers in Kuala Lumpur and he said I should be in the youth wing,” Nazri had said in a previous interview.

He moved through the ranks to eventually join the federal cabinet for the first time as Entrepreneur Development minister in 1995.

Nazri said he saw his new role to that of a diplomat.

“I have to be nice to everyone. I will engage everyone including those in the Pakatan Harapan,” he said.

The Padang Rengas MP said BN could no longer afford to be rigid with its policies.

“Even now, we are flexible. In Sabah, the state unit there is going into an alliance with Gabungan Bersatu Sabah, which we have allowed,” he said. – October 28, 2018.