Zahid acknowledged that the decision to join Pakatan Harapan (PH) in forming the unity government had affected ties between the BN components, particularly MCA and MIC.

However, he thanked MCA president Wee Ka Siong and MIC deputy president M Saravanan for attending the opening of Umno’s general assembly this morning.

“It’s okay to sulk for a while. But now let’s all return (to BN). Let’s embrace one another again.

“So please stop sulking. We can’t coax you anymore. Return (to BN),” he said in his opening speech, while glancing at Wee and Saravanan.

Umno, MCA and MIC are founding members of the pre-independence Alliance Party, which became BN in 1973.

Both MCA and MIC have been weighing a departure from BN over apparently being sidelined by Umno since the formation of the unity government.

Last week, Saravanan said MIC would decide on its future in BN only after Thaipusam, which falls on Feb 1.

Wee meanwhile said in December that MCA would review its position in BN if Umno insisted on continuing its cooperation with other parties outside the coalition, especially DAP, in the next general election (GE16).

Zahid said Umno was aware that it was being accused of cosying up to DAP and betraying Islam for the sake of power.

He also said the party’s leadership had heard the voices of its youth, women’s and young women’s wings, including the calls for Umno to quit the government.

“But don’t worry, we are with the unity government to save the country from political crisis,” he said, adding that Umno decided to join hands with PH as the king had wanted a unity government after the 2022 general election which resulted in a hung Parliament.