KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The formalisation of the union between PAS and Umno yesterday means the end of the spirit of Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said today.

Nazri said the union of the two biggest Malay parties in the country effectively puts an end to the spirit of multiculturalism that BN was built on, following the racial riots in the 1969.

"With this union the BN spirit of representing multiculturalism which was formulated in 1969 has ended,” he said in a press conference.

Nazri then said any discussions on the dissolution of BN to be "academic”.

He said he was being practical and realistic in his politics, and that it was necessary to focus on Malay-Muslim interests for immediate survival.

"Before this, I put multiculturalism first then my own community. But now I believe, for the sake of political survival, I need to put priorities of Malays and Islam first, then multiracialism,” he said.

Earlier in the press conference, Nazri also said he will not attend the BN supreme council meeting this Friday as he did not want to be seen as an obstacle.

However, Nazri also "thanked” MCA and MIC for pushing him out of BN as it saved him from being criticised for abandoning the coalition.

"I don’t want people to think that I support the union between PAS and Umno, and to abandon BN. I don’t want to be accused of that.”