MIC: Indian support for BN remains a question mark

The support of the Indian Malaysian community for the ruling coalition is still a “question mark”, says MIC president G Palanivel, who admitted that the party, as well as the BN, lost the bulk of the support from the community in the 2008 general election.

“We (Indian Malaysians) are only helped during by-elections, with tit-bits, small allocations for schools, temples, small loans - (but) we need things on an enormous scale, and only then will the community's support come back, because we have no one else to depend on except the BN government,” he said.

“MIC will always support Umno, MCA and all other parties in BN but whether the Indian community will support or not is a question mark because they must be looked after.

“The community's support was okay (but) it is very difficult for me to give a guarantee at this moment that it is all back... because from time to time, there is deterioration because of various issues,” said Palanivel (right).

With political pundits predicting that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will call the 13th general election close to the end of the year or early next year, Palanivel said urgent solutions were needed to tackle the problems of the community.

“If they (the BN) reciprocate, then we will do well. We need help, this community is a small community... we are not a majority community, just a minority,” added the deputy plantation industries and commodities minister.

MIC suffered a downturn in the 2008 general election, with party bigwigs including Palanivel and former president S Samy Vellu defeated by lightweight opponents.

It was then reported that the support of the Indians for the ruling coalition had plummeted from 82 percent to 47 percent and MIC, which had a track record of winning almost all the parliamentary and state seats it contested, was almost annihilated.

Palanivel indirectly hit out at Najib, alleging that 'sweeteners' handed out during by-elections did not solve the issues of deprivation.

'We must be included in the main economic agenda'

“Affirmative policies are good, but sometimes these policies bypass the man-in-the-street and these people become desperate, leading them to resort to violence. I will bravely say that deprivation leads to violence,” he said.

“We are a positive community, but we need the right type of support, we must be included in the main economic agenda - but (as time goes by the support has) deteriorated (as seen in the) civil service and universities intakes,” he added.

Asked about the steps MIC has taken to get rid of these hurdles in the event the 13th general election is called soon, Palanivel told reporters to wait for his keynote address at the party's annual general meeting (AGM).

MIC's 65th AGM will take place at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre this weekend.

“I'm treating my presidential address as an urgent address... if the BN government looks after every Malaysian well, we will have no problem. We must concentrate our national budget on developing our people,” Palanivel added. - Malaysiakini