Barisan Nasional secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir has rebuked MIC president SA Vigneswaran for publicly criticising BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for allegedly neglecting the party’s interests.
Zambry described Vigneswaran’s remarks during MIC‘s recent annual general assembly as “inappropriate.”
“No BN component party has done so in the past because we have our own customs, internal procedures, and the Supreme Council as a platform to voice out our views,” he told FMT.
At the AGM on Sunday, Vigneswaran blamed Zahid for failing to defend MIC’s interests and said this was the cause of the party’s continued neglect in the current government.
He also criticised the decision to cooperate with Pakatan Harapan, saying it was made to protect Umno‘s survival rather than BN’s collective future.
“The impact on MIC was quite clear. We have no ministers, no representatives in government-linked companies and no significant appointments due to a BN chairman who has failed to defend MIC’s interests,” Vigneswaran said.
On the same day, MIC delegates unanimously resolved to defer any decision on leaving BN to the party’s central working committee and president.
On the possibility of MIC’s departure, Zambry said he would not interfere in the party’s internal matters but urged its leaders to consider the “lessons and struggles” shared within BN and its predecessor, the Alliance Party.
Founded in 1946, MIC is one of Malaysia’s oldest political parties. As a founding member of the Alliance alongside Umno and MCA, it historically represented the Indian community, while the other parties represented the Malays and Chinese, respectively.
