KUALA LUMPUR: Allowing the party that won a seat in the 15th general election (GE15) to retain it automatically in the next election goes against the spirit of Barisan Nasional, said MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
Speaking at the BN golden jubilee celebration, he said such a formula does not align with the dynamics of MIC and Umno.
"MIC is strongly against this. Look at our spirit within BN.
"MIC won Cameron Highlands; we did not lose.
"(However), when we saw it was more suitable for Umno to field a candidate to secure victory, we handed over the seat to them.
"If we were to follow the current formula of retaining seats based on previous wins, we wouldn't have given Cameron Highlands to Umno."
The same applies to the Tanjung Piai by-election.
"Our stance was to nominate an Umno candidate, but BN chairman (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) decided to give it (the seat) to MCA.
"That is the spirit we uphold," he said.
Saravanan, also the Tapah member of parliament, also commented on automatically selecting former division chiefs or youth wing leaders as election candidates.
"If we continue to use this formula, we will never be considered as candidates.
"And if this formula persists, Friends of BN will forever be limited to just putting up campaign posters," he said.
Saravanan also called on the coalition's leaders to recognise and capitalise on the collective strengths within BN.