Zahid said the matter would not be taken up at Umno’s annual general assembly in January, stressing that any decision involving MIC must be made at the BN level, Bernama reported.

“It has nothing to do with the (Umno) general assembly, because Umno’s (relationship) with MIC is the same within BN,” he was quoted as saying after officiating the Desa Kirana complete package announcement ceremony in Sekinchan today.

It was previously reported that MIC delegates had resolved at their annual general meeting last month to defer a decision on whether the party should leave or remain in BN.

However, MIC president SA Vigneswaran later said all three motions tabled at the assembly, including the one on exiting BN, had been accepted and submitted to the party’s central working committee for consideration.

At the same event, Zahid also confirmed that Naim Kurniawan, the son of the late Bung Moktar Radin, will be BN’s candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat by-election.

He said the announcement of the candidate for Lamag would be handled by Sabah Umno chairman Jaffry Ariffin.

He urged Umno delegates from Sabah to assist in campaigning for the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections, even though the dates coincide with the party’s general assembly.

“However, if they have purchased tickets and booked accommodation, we will not prevent them from coming to the general assembly. For those who cannot attend, we will broadcast it online in all 25 districts in Sabah.

“If they decide to gather in one place, for example, at the Sabah Umno headquarters in Kota Kinabalu, this will make it easier for them to follow the proceedings,” the Umno president said.

The Umno general assembly will be held from Jan 14 to 17.

Polling for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections is scheduled for Jan 24, with nominations to take place on Jan 10 and early voting on Jan 20.