MIC seeks divine intervention

The party wants to build an altar in the office of its president G Palanivel, according to a MIC leader.

PETALING JAYA: While almost all political parties in the country are scrambling to capture the hearts and minds of voters, MIC, the largest Indian-based political party, seems to be hoping for divine intervention to weather the coming general election.

The party intends to erect an altar in the president’s office at the MIC headquarters, and work is underway to construct a water fountain at the entrance of the building.

“The water fountain is supposed to bring good luck… it is claimed that the flowing water is good ‘feng shui’. The altar is under the president’s (G Palanivel) orders. He is a religious man,” said a MIC leader, who declined to be named.

“This shows that Palanivel is willing to go to any lengths to get votes,” he added.

The party is struggling to capture Indian votes, which deserted the ruling Barisan Nasional at the 2008 general election, after being solidly behind the coalition over the last 50-odd years.

MIC lost most of the seats it contested at the 12th general election, which saw long-standing former party president S Samy Vellu losing the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency after holding it over the last two decades.

Out of the nine parliamentary seats it contested in 2008, the party only managed to win three in Segamat (current deputy president S Subramaniam), Cameron Highlands (vice-president SK Devamany) and Tapah (vice-president M Saravanan).

MIC regained the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2010 when its candidate P Kamalanathan beat PKR’s Zaid Ibrahim. Ironically, Palanivel was MIC’s candidate for Hulu Selangor at the 2008 polls.

He lost the seat with a slim majority of 198 votes in the general election. He was subsequently dropped as the BN candidate in the by-election as the BN favoured a “winnable” candidate.

The party leader also said the whole “project” to transform the party headquarters was being overseen by MIC treasurer Jaspal Singh.
“But I have no idea how much the whole exercise cost,” added.

Meanwhile, FMT learnt that several MIC leaders have also resorted to seeing “bomoh” or witch- doctors to ensure they are given seats to contest under the BN banner at the coming general election.

“Although I have not witnessed it, people tell me that some leaders are holding prayers and rituals secretly outside the headquarters at night in the hope of being named as a candidate,” said the leader.

“I have been in this party for a very long time and this is the first time I hear of leaders seeing bomoh. They have to work to win the hearts of the people instead of indulging in this,” he added.

While the party is not leaving anything to chance in winning the general election, it is the voters who will decide if the party was still relevant or otherwise.

This is because the forthcoming 13th general election will decide the fate of the MIC.