KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — The Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council that was scheduled to meet tonight at the Umno headquarters here has been abruptly called off.
Malay news portal Astro Awani said the BN communications division informed the media about the cancellation through a WhatsApp message, without giving an explanation.
The news outlet had reported the possibility of the cancellation just hours earlier. It cited an unnamed BN source saying some component party leaders may not be able to attend the meeting.
“This is still speculation. It’s not an issue of quorum. The quorum may be enough. But it’s more a courtesy among the component members,” the source was quoted saying.
MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran told another news portal, Malaysiakini earlier that he was unwell and was also unaware the BN supreme council was scheduled to meet.
“I don’t know. I am feeling unwell,” he was quoted saying when asked if MIC would be attending.
The Indian-based MIC is a component party of the BN coalition, along with Malay nationalist party Umno, Chinese-based MCA and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini there were some changes to the BN agenda and that he needed to discuss it with MCA and the BN chairman who is Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi first.
The various component party leaders were supposed to meet tonight to iron out uncertainties about its position in the next general election after Umno disassociated itself from the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, according to Malaysiakini.
Umno grassroots delegates openly renounced cooperating with the PN administration at its 75th annual general assembly last week, due to strained ties with its backbone party Bersatu.
However, despite pressure from their party, some Umno politicians are still members of the PN government.
The position of other BN component parties, like MCA and PBRS, on whether or not to continue working in the government under Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from Bersatu is unclear.
