KOTA BARU: Perikatan secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said Perikatan will regard MIC as having rejected its offer to join the coalition if no official response is received soon.
He said MIC had been given time to confirm whether it accepts or rejects the offer, but the matter cannot be allowed to drag on, reported Sinar Harian.
“MIC can reply to the letter or issue a statement, but if there is no prompt response, we will assume they have refused.
“We are only surprised that MIC says it is, for now, staying with BN. We need to ask MIC what they mean by that,” he told reporters at the Kelantan PAS Aidilfitri Open House at Warisan Dataran, Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium, here on Saturday (March 28).
Takiyuddin said MIC, through its president, had sent an official letter dated Nov 15, 2025 to then Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, applying to join Perikatan.
He said the application clearly used the word “readmitted”, as MIC viewed itself as one of Perikatan’s founders.
“If they say they didn’t apply, please prove it. I have the letter,” he said.
The application was discussed at a Perikatan meeting on Dec 9, 2025 and approved, making MIC the fifth component party after PAS, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Gerakan and Parti India Malaysia (MIPP).
The decision was confirmed at a meeting on March 14, and an official offer letter was sent to MIC on March 23.
However, at its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on March 25, MIC decided not to accept the offer, although no official reply was conveyed to Perikatan.
“If they don’t want to accept it, that’s fine. Perikatan is not for sale. Anyone who wants to join must apply, and if they don’t want to, that is their choice,” he said.
He added that MIC’s move does not weaken Perikatan, noting the coalition previously won 74 parliamentary seats without MIC’s involvement.
“They only have one Member of Parliament, so it doesn’t have a big impact on Perikatan.
“If they want to stay with BN, that is their choice and Perikatan has no problem with that,” he said.
Takiyuddin also said Perikatan has received applications from several other political parties interested in joining the coalition, which are now being reviewed.
On March 17, Sinar Harian reported that MIC had yet to make a final decision on joining Perikatan.
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said any decision could only be made by the party’s Supreme Council (MT) and, to date, no decision had been reached on joining the opposition coalition.
