BARISAN Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remains confident that MCA and MIC will remain in BN although there has been an offer to join another party ahead of the coming state elections in six states.

Zahid who is also the Umno president said the party that made the offer is known to take opportunities whenever there is an election.

“Whenever there is a by-election and state election or more commonly during the general election, they (said party) will start making offers to other parties to join them, but I am confident MCA and MIC will remain with BN,” he said.

Zahid was speaking to reporters after launching the 2023 National Entrepreneur Week (MUN) and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Week at Dataran Merdeka, in Kuala Lumpur today.

The BN chairman who was asked to comment on the action of Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) election director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s offer to MCA and MIC, urging both parties to discard BN and join the pact for the coming state elections, he said both parties have been an integral part of BN. 

When asked about the decision by former Putrajaya deputy Umno chief Faisal Ismail Aziz’s decision to join Bersatu yesterday, Zahid wished him “all the best” and stressed that Umno and BN only needed loyal leaders.

Speaking of a statement by DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng who claimed that a ‘Green Wave’ would destroy Buddhist temples as per a report by a Chinese daily (China Press), Zahid said such a statement was repeated to tarnish the image of Lim.

“I read the report, it had happened a long time ago, but repeated to tarnish the name of Lim Guan Eng. I feel even if we have different political ideologies, the difference will be based on good morality in politics and should not resort to character assassination,” he said. – Bernama, July 9, 2023.