Certain ‘senior BN leaders’ said we should back PN, says MCA

December 1, 2022

Certain ‘senior BN leaders’ said we should back PN, says MCA

PETALING JAYA: MCA has clarified its support for Perikatan Nasional (PN) during the political impasse after the general election, stating that it was “informed by certain senior BN leaders” that BN should join PN to form the new government.

“This was a situation similar to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (where) various news reports had disclosed that GPS also initially supported PN after they were told that BN had agreed to support PN,” said MCA deputy president Mah Hang Soon in a statement.

“Subsequently, it was decided in BN’s first Supreme Council meeting after the election that BN’s first preference was to stay neutral and to remain in the opposition.”

He added MCA president Wee Ka Siong had proposed that any statutory declaration (SD) from individual BN MPs should be “cancelled immediately”, with BN then instructing all its MPs to do so.

The general election on Nov 19 ended in a hung Parliament, with Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim then appointed prime minister to lead a unity government comprising BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

Anwar’s government also has the support of MPs from Warisan, Muda, Parti Bangsa Malaysia and independents.

On Monday, MCA pledged its “wholehearted” support for Anwar’s unity government, with secretary-general Chong Sin Woon describing it as a step towards national reconciliation between the ruling and opposition coalitions.

It was previously reported that 10 BN MPs had signed SDs backing PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister after BN decided to remain in the opposition.

FMT yesterday reported that the 10 MPs claimed they were misled into supporting PN by a senior Umno leader.

“So they (10 MPs) could still make the cut (in joining the Cabinet). But the leader who misled them should take responsibility,” said a source.