Mic Points Out Umno Not Sole Bn Rep Cabinet Posts Must Be Shared

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Umno has been reminded not to behave as if it is the sole party representing BN in the coalition government.
MIC strategic director R Thinalan said BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement on the need to maintain Umno’s seven ministerial positions following the departure of Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz was disappointing to the MIC grassroots.
“Why must Umno have seven ministers in the cabinet? Why not from MCA or MIC? Is Umno the sole BN representative in the government?
“If everything revolves around Umno, then what is the meaning of BN in the government today?
“I want to stress here that Umno is not the sole component in BN. The ministry held by Zafrul did not belong to Umno but to BN. Any cabinet appointment must be discussed with other BN component parties,” he told Malaysiakini.
Thinalan (above) was responding to Zahid’s remarks yesterday when he expressed hope that the full quota of seven BN ministers in the cabinet would be restored to Umno following Zafrul’s resignation from the party.
The Umno president said previously the party had seven ministers, but the number had dropped to six following Zafrul’s exit.
BN chairperson and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi“To me, what’s more important is that Umno is represented by seven ministers in the cabinet, even though we are not certain whether Tengku Zafrul’s appointment (as minister) was made under Umno’s banner. But we assumed he was from Umno.
“If that’s the case, Umno is now left with only six full ministers. With Zafrul no longer in Umno, it is only fair that we request one seat to be given to us,” said Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister.
‘Not Umno’s exclusive right’
Thinalan called on Umno not to act unilaterally in asking the prime minister to retain all seven cabinet posts for the party.
“He (Zahid) himself confirmed that he was unsure whether Tengku Zafrul’s appointment (as minister) was made under Umno. This means it is possible that Umno did not submit Zafrul’s name to the prime minister. He (Zafrul) was appointed under the prime minister’s prerogative.
ADS“Therefore, any replacement (for the ministry) must be referred to BN first. It is not Umno’s exclusive right.
“Why can’t the post be given to MCA, the ‘second largest party in BN’? What is the point of BN if everything is only for Umno?
“Factually, all appointments, whether in GLCs (government-linked companies) or government, have only involved Umno and not other BN parties,” he added.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz recently quit UmnoOn May 30, Zafrul announced his resignation as an Umno supreme council member, Kota Raja division chief and party member. At the same time, he conveyed his intention to join PKR to its president Anwar Ibrahim and secretary-general Fuziah Salleh.
In the 15th general election, BN won 30 parliamentary seats - 26 by Umno, two by MCA, and one each by MIC and PBRS.
Apart from the ministerial positions, Umno also holds six deputy minister posts. PBRS has one deputy minister, while MCA and MIC have no cabinet representation. - Mkini

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