MCA and MIC leaders rejected Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s proposal to retract support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, said sources.

Party insiders said the Chinese and Indian components of Barisan Nasional parties told Zahid they wished to continue working with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government until the Covid-19 and economic crises were resolved. 

The Umno leadership eventually decided to withdraw support for Muhyiddin yesterday and asked for an interim prime minister to be appointed to address the pandemic. The majority of the party MPs, especially those with a seat in the cabinet, however, have baulked at the decision. 

Umno will remain in the ruling pact until the general election.

Sources told The Malaysian Insight MCA and MIC leaders had questioned Zahid, who is the BN chairman, if he was confident their coalition would win the general election if it withdrew support from PN.

They had asked if BN would win enough seats on its own to take power or if it would have to work with  DAP and PKR to form a coalition government, said a source.

The source said the two parties had also reminded Zahid that any decision affecting the BN pact was to be reached consensually instead of unilaterally

“The withdrawal of support for Muhyiddin must be decided by the BN supreme council and Umno cannot decide on its own,” a source said.

The sources also said that the appointments of Ismail Sabri Yaakob as deputy prime minister and the promotion of Hishammuddin Hussein as senior minister was suggested by BN for “stability”.

“Ismail Sabri is meeting with various Umno MPs to hear their views and he may agree for BN to remain with Bersatu until the pandemic is under control,” another source said.

The source added that the BN leaders were inclined to support Ismail and Hishammuddin as they did not approve of political changes while the public health crisis was unresolved.

The promotion of the duo came hours before a Umno Supreme Council meeting on Wednesday night.

After the meeting which lasted into the wee hours of the next day, Zahid announced the withdrawal of support for Muhyiddin.

The council also decided that the 38 Umno MPs would be allowed to decide whether or not to vote for the prime minister in the Dewan Rakyat.

Yesterday MIC president S. Vigneswaran told The Malaysian Insight that Muhyiddin need not resign just because Umno has demanded it.

He also said MIC did not agree with the decision and would wait to see if the Umno MPs would withdraw their support en bloc for Muhyiddin in Parliament.

Meanwhile MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon said the party would support PN until the general election.

“Until BN makes a new decision, MCA will continue to support PN until GE15 as has been agreed by BN,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The four-party BN coalition has 42 seats. Umno had 38, MCA (2), MIC (1) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (1).

MCA holds Ayer Hitam and Tanjung Piai and MIC, Tapah. All three are Malay-majority seats. – July 8, 2021.