There is no such thing as cabinet members losing or being forced to accept a decision, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reiterated today.

"I won't feel at ease if any party has to be forced to agree to accept a decision," he said in his opening address at Gerakan's 34th national delegates conference in Kuala Lumpur.

"The question of winning or losing does not arise in the cabinet. No decision is made by a show of hands. If that's the way it is done, surely the MIC or small component parties will lose," he said.

Best joint stand

The prime minister said that each agenda was discussed at length to find the best joint stand.

For example, Abdullah said that decisions on the New Economic Policy and vernacular schools are the product of a joint decision between BN component parties before becoming a national agenda or programme.

Abdullah explained that despite BN being made up of race-based component parties, ii does not obstruct efforts to reach consensus.

"If our intention is good, we can agree for the sake of Malaysians," he said.