Umno is nothing without BN, says MCA

PETALING JAYA: Umno only has itself to blame for the deteriorating state of Barisan Nasional (BN) today, and it is paying the high price for being politically arrogant.

In a strongly worded comment, MCA publicity spokesman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker (pix) said BN’s collapse following the 14th general election (GE14) should serve as a lesson to Umno that without the other BN component parties, “Umno is nothing”.

He also claimed that Umno began neglecting the people and other members of BN, and got carried away with power, having been the ruling party for decades since independence.

“Umno was almighty previously because of the support of the rakyat and BN parties. But because of this, they overlooked the contribution of others. They just want to live alone (hidup sendiri).

“And this is the price they are paying. They were so ego-centric and selfcentred. What they need is to empower the component parties in the coalition and respect the people.

“This (BN’s collapse) is the end result of (Umno’s) political arrogance,” he told theSun yesterday.

Ti was asked to comment on the Sarawak component parties’ pullout from BN on Tuesday and MCA’s stand on its relationship with BN. Umno’s BN lost federal power in GE14 in what was a shocking defeat, garnering only 79 seats of the overall 222, 19 of which were won by its four component parties in Sarawak.

Asked to comment if MCA would similarly review its position in BN, Ti said it was premature to do so until new leaderships are installed in the respective parties after their party elections. “Only then can we assess the type of leadership each party has and whether we want to review our positions or not,” he said

Meanwhile, MCA veteran Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn said it was high time for the party to reconsider its position in BN, claiming the whole political landscape under the coalition has changed following its GE14 defeat.

The former party vice-president said MCA should instead focus its efforts on serving the people in rural areas, as they did when the party was first established.