Makkal Sakti president RS Thanenthiran has stressed that his party has no intention of replacing MIC in Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said that the party will not exploit the ongoing internal tensions between MIC and BN, and remains committed to working alongside MIC to advance the Indian community’s interests, Bernama reported.
Thanenthiran also described his relationship with MIC and its president, SA Vigneswaran, as close, likening it to that of siblings.
“MIC’s struggle to champion the interests of the Indian community in this country has spanned more than 70 years, and that legacy must be respected.
“We will never oppose MIC, that is our principle,” he was quoted as saying after the party’s 17th general assembly ended today.
Currently, Makkal Sakti is a “Friend of BN,” an allied party that supports the coalition without full membership.
Earlier, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition’s constitution requires unanimous approval from all component parties for the admission of new members. He added the lack of such approval has delayed Makkal Sakti’s full entry into the coalition.
Zahid also warned that BN will decide the fate of MIC if the party continues to waver on whether it wants to remain in the alliance it co-founded more than seven decades ago.
At its annual general meeting last month, MIC delegates resolved to defer a decision on whether to leave or remain in BN. Party president Vigneswaran later clarified that all motions, including one on exiting BN, would be referred to the central working committee for consideration.
