MCA and MIC have no future outside Barisan Nasional, former Umno Supreme Council member Nazri Aziz said.
Nazri said the two BN components were in an “unenviable” position, as they had a choice in the runup to the 16th general election – either join Perikatan Nasional or go solo.
“Either choice is suicidal. It will be game over for them. The two parties had, to an extent, depended on Umno for support in past elections.
“And while they managed to bring in Chinese and Indian votes for BN, that’s not very evident now,” he told FMT.
He said that by going solo, MCA and MIC stand to lose all their seats, even in their strongholds, while joining PAS-led PN would not bode well for the two parties.
His comments come hours after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged MCA and MIC to close ranks and focus on BN.
Zahid, however, acknowledged that the decision to join Pakatan Harapan in forming the unity government had affected ties among the BN components.
Umno, MCA and MIC are founding members of the pre-independence Alliance Party, which became BN in 1973.
Both MCA and MIC have been weighing a departure from BN over apparently being sidelined by Umno since the formation of the unity government.
Last week, MIC deputy president M Saravanan said the party would decide on its future in BN only after Thaipusam, which falls on Feb 1.
MCA president Wee Ka Sioing said in December the party would review its position in BN if Umno insisted on continuing its cooperation with other parties outside the coalition, especially DAP, in the next general election.
Nazri said that under these circumstances, cooler heads should prevail to chart out a path for MCA and MIC to remain relevant under BN.
“BN is their only home.They should hold more frank discussions instead of throwing tantrums. The reality is that they have lost substantial grassroots support.
“Think of ways to get the support back instead of being obsessed with DAP, which has most of the Chinese support,” he said.
