KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called on component parties that previously opposed the admission of new partners to take a clear and consistent stand.
Ahmad Zahid said any decision to admit new parties, including the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma), must be backed by a solid and unified position within Barisan.
“Umno has never doubted Kimma’s loyalty to Umno. That loyalty has a price, and that price must be paid, no matter how high.
“However, we have constraints. Barisan Nasional has constraints,” he said when officiating Kimma’s 46th Congress here on Saturday (April 18).
Ahmad Zahid said this in response to Kimma president Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim Kader who had earlier urged the Umno president to accept the party as an official component member of Barisan.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that the coalition’s constitution requires unanimous consent from all existing component parties before any new party can be admitted as a full member.
“The constraint lies in the Barisan constitution itself, which stipulates that any application to join as a core party must receive unanimous agreement, or 100% approval, from existing component parties. That has not been achieved,” he said.
Referring to recent remarks suggesting that certain parties were no longer opposed to new entries, Ahmad Zahid said such positions must be proven through formal processes rather than public statements.
“If it is true that there are statements saying they no longer object, I want them to prove it at the next Barisan supreme council meeting.
“Make an official and written declaration to accept and amend the Barisan constitution.
“I do not want mere media statements. In one media statement they say one thing, in speeches they say another, and in meetings they say something else.
“We must speak the same - behind closed doors and in public, day and night. That is what loyalty means,” he added.
He stressed that inconsistent positions undermine trust within the coalition.
“It is not about going in, going out and then turning back again. That is not loyalty - that is flip-flopping.
“I am not referring to any individual or party. These are our friends from the Friends of Barisan Nasional,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid added that the matter must be formally raised and resolved at the coalition’s top decision-making body.
“They must confirm at the Barisan Nasional supreme council that the resolution will be stated there, and I would like them to propose that Kimma be accepted as a full member of Barisan,” he said.
In March, it was reported that the MIC had decided to remain in Barisan “for the time being”.
Previously, MIC had repeatedly stated that it was considering leaving the coalition, citing dissatisfaction with its political position, particularly after Umno, under Ahmad Zahid’s leadership, formed cooperation with Pakatan Harapan.
