It’s time BN was dissolved, says Umno veterans club
‘Perikatan’ spirit embodied by Umno, MCA and MIC no longer exists, says Mustapha
THE Umno Veterans Club has called on the Barisan Nasional leadership to dissolve the coalition, saying that it is no longer relevant.
Umno Veterans Club secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said the BN leadership should dissolve the coalition as the “Perikatan” spirit embodied by Umno, MCA and MIC since independence no longer existed.
He said it was best that BN was formally dissolved instead of letting its allies withdraw gradually.
“Umno, which has been the main driver for BN, should call for a meeting of the coalition’s supreme council to discuss this,” he told the New Straits Times Press.
He was commenting of the action of four BN component parties in Sarawak, which have since left the coalition.
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Abang Openg had on Tuesday announced that Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) were leaving BN to form Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
With the withdrawal, BN is left with only four component parties — Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan. People’s Progressive Party’s (MyPPP) status remains unknown following an internal leadership crisis.
Mustapha said the Umno Veterans Club believed that Umno had “carried” the BN component parties, which, he said, rode on Umno’s strength.
“BN was strong because Umno was strong. They now feel that Umno is weak because BN failed to form the government after the 14th General Election.
“They forgot that Umno has 54 seats in Parliament.
“Who is the weak one here? It’s them... MCA, Gerakan and MIC cannot recover anymore. They can only ride on the success in Malay-majority areas. If there are dissenting voices from MCA and Gerakan to expel Umno from BN, this means they have forgotten history and failed to realise that they were latching onto Umno all this while.”
He said Umno veterans remained confident that the party could fight on its own to uphold race, religion and the country.
“What is needed is for Umno to return to its original objective, in line with its slogan of ‘Bersatu Bersetia Berkhidmat’,” he said.
Mustapha felt the withdrawal of BN component parties in Sarawak had paved the way for Umno’s entry into the state.
“In truth, Umno has existed for a long time in Sarawak. Because of objections by PBB, Sarawak Umno took a back seat. Now, it is time for Sarawak Umno to spread its wings. We are confident that Sarawak will throw its support behind Umno.”