Has UMNO called the bluff of MCA, Gerakan and MIC and virtually challenged them to leave Barisan Nasional over UMNO’s support for Hadi’s private member’s bill?

The latest report is that UMNO is calling the bluff of MCA, Gerakan and MIC and virtually challenged them to leave Barisan Nasional over UMNO’s support for PAS President Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355, and UMNO’s stand that the Barisan Nasional government takeover Hadi’s private member’s bill.

But are MCA, Gerakan and MIC prepared to leave Barisan Nasional over UMNO’s support of Hadi’s private member’s bill and insistence that the Barisan Nasional Federal Government takeover Hadi’s private member’s bill?

The latest report about UMNO’s support for Hadi’s private member’s bill is that UMNO has agreed that Hadi’s private member’s bill would not apply as far as Sabah and Sarawak are concerned, and in the process, secured the non-opposition of the Sabah and Sarawak BN Ministers and MPs.

However, the real issue is not the merits or demerits of Hadi’s private member’s bill but the crucial and critical one as to whether Barisan Nasional has changed its character from a consensus-based coalition of 13 component parties into a political coalition operating solely under the dictates of UMNO hegemony – at least as far as the Peninsular parties like MCA, Gerakan and MIC are concerned.

The issue was precipitated last Friday when the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi announced that the government will take over Hadi’s private member’s bill in Parliament, but the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other Sabah/Sarawak Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders claim that they knew nothing about it and never agreed to it.

Irresponsible, divisive and destructive quarters have branded those who criticize or even oppose Hadi’s private member’s bill as anti-Islam, forgetting that the Sarawak Chief Minister, Datuk Abang Johari Tun Openg (a Muslim) had upheld the stand of the previous Sarawak Chief Minister, Adenan Satem (another Muslim) and directed all the 25 Sarawak Barisan Nasional MPs (which included four Muslim Federal Ministers) to reject Hadi’s private member’s bill motion.

I had asked whether the 15 non-UMNO Ministers at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow will get Zahid to announce (i) that his announcement last Friday was only the stand of UMNO but not the 13-party Barisan Nasional; (ii) that UMNO respects and accepts the stand of the other 12 BN parties which opposed any BN government takeover of Hadi’s private members’ bill or giving priority to Hadi’s private member’s bill in Parliament for it to be debated and voted ahead of government official business.

Even if UMNO leadership has secured the “non-opposition” of the Sabah and Sarawak BN MPs, UMNO’s takeover of Hadi’s private member’s bill in the name of Barisan Nasional, without consent or even discussion with the leaders and Ministers of the other 12 BN component parties, is a critical test case of the consensus character of the BN – which was the founding characteristic of the BN when formed by Tun Razak in 1973, with Razak, Tan Siew Sin, Sambanthan, Dr. Lim Chong Eu, and the Sabah and Sarawak BN leaders operating on the basis of consensus, just like the days of Alliance under Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Tan Cheng Lock and Tun V. T. Sambantah where consensus and not UMNO hegemony was the basis of the coalition.

Let us see whether the UMNO leadership will succeed in calling the bluff of MCA, Gerakan and MIC at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.