BARISAN Nasional (BN) supreme council will convene to discuss issues concerning its component party, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), once the Sabah State Election (PRN) concludes.

BN secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir said the coalition’s immediate focus remains on the upcoming polls.

“Yes, I believe we will give priority to matters concerning MIC, but for now all component parties are aligned in focusing on the Sabah election,” he said in Putrajaya yesterday.

“We will address the situation in Sabah first and afterwards, we will discuss the matter collectively in the spirit of Barisan Nasional,” he said.

The statement follows MIC’s 79th Annual General Meeting (AGM), where a decision on whether the party will remain in or exit BN was deferred. Reports indicate that Deputy President M. Saravanan presented three motions, including a proposal for MIC to leave the coalition and consider joining the opposition.

MIC president S. A. Vigneswaran reportedly said that all three motions , including the proposal to exit BN were accepted and referred to the Central Working Committee (CWC) for further deliberation.

Meanwhile, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated that he would respect MIC’s decision should the party choose to leave the coalition.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO president, said he does not intend to interfere in MIC’s internal affairs.