Disregard personal remarks by BN component leaders, Zahid says after MCA Youth man’s boycott polls call

PETALING JAYA, June 26 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) top leadership does not condone or endorse calls to boycott the coming six state elections as suggested by a component party official recently, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

The BN chairman said such calls were unwelcomed personal opinions and should be ignored.

“Parties in BN, do not entertain such individual remarks as this will give an impression of estrangement.

“The top leadership in MIC and MCA are in support of the state election which we will be facing together and the level of cooperation between BN and Pakatan Harapan is at an all time high,” he told reporters after officiating the 23rd FBI National Academy Associates Asia Pacific Chapter Retraining Conference at Sunway Resort Hotel here.

Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister and Umno president, was responding to news reports citing MCA Youth secretary-general Daniel Wa calling on his party to skip the state polls.

Without naming anyone, Wa also suggested not supporting candidates who have become “arrogant after befriending DAP”.

Wa's remark came after Umno supreme council member Datuk Lokman Adam was reported to have described MIC and MCA as liabilities for what he called their “continuous failure to secure votes” for BN.

Lokman also accused MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong and MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan of “betraying” BN by signing statutory declarations to back Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister after the 15th general election last November.

DAP, another component party in PH, also came under fire after its former publicity secretary Tony Pua described BN as “corrupt”, prompting Umno leaders to hit out at the former Damansara MP.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke later condemned Pua’s remarks, saying attacks on key coalition partners in the unity government were uncalled for.

Six states, namely Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, are expected to have their state elections soon.

PH — which includes DAP and Amanah — as well as allies like BN are part of the unity government at the federal level, and are expected to work together in the upcoming state elections.