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Friday, April 19, 2013

WHERE will the Indian votes go this time?


WHERE will the Indian votes go this time?
I have always been watching the responses from the Indian society as the 13th general elections draw nigh.
In Johor, earmarked by the opposition pact as the frontline state, Indians make up only a small minority in the total electorate count. However, they are playing a pivotal role especially in several hotly contested places. Their political inclinations could dictate the final outcome, meaning they could be the ultimate kingmakers of this election, not the Malays or Chinese that make up the bulk of the electorate.
These constituencies are Gelang Patah, Kluang and Segamat where the Indians make up 12.49% (13,347), 13.80% (5,859) and 9.87% (4,651) of the total number of voters respectively. In the 2008 general elections, BN won in these three constituencies with majority votes of 8,851, 3,781 and 2,991 respectively.
More Indian voters in GE13
Statistics show that the number of Indian voters in these three constituencies are much higher this time than the last GE, highlighting the fact that these people are playing really very important role this time round.
Frankly, I have limited understanding of the political inclinations of Malaysian Indians. All that I know about them is based on what people in the street say: "The Malays look to their past, the Chinese look to their future, while the Indians look at the present."
Some have analysed that the frustration in the Indian society has been somewhat appeased and their opposing voices are largely tamed. BN has claimed that Indian votes are flowing back to the ruling coalition. But it is really so? I'm still watching.
I notice that when Bersih chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan was invited to attend a DAP function in Gelang Patah recently, the overwhelming support she received from the Indian society was way beyond anyone's imagination and expectation.
There were about four to five thousand people at the function, half of them Indians and many attending in whole families. Our reporter covering the event reported: "Ambiga's charms are simply irresistible with many Indian residents rushing to see her as if she is a superstar. When Ambiga arrived at the scene, many Indian participants flocked to her to shake hands with her or get her to sign autographs."
10% swing - really?
An Indian journalist friend of mine thinks otherwise: "Ambiga's influences are confined largely to the elite intelligentsia in the Indian society. It is Hindraf that is truly influential among the middle to lower classes."
While he does not deny that a crack has indeed appeared within Hindraf, he estimates only about 10% of Indians have actually swung back to BN.
I have to point out that this Indian journalist friend of mine is a self-proclaimed supporter of BN, but he admits that Indian Malaysians generally aspire to see a more equitable "New Malaysia" and calls for democracy are actually very loud and evident.
Meanwhile, the new media could work enormous influences on Indian voters this time, a factor which had yet to emerge to tip the 2008 election outcome.
Another thing that manages to get my attention is: Malaysian Indian Business Association president P. Sivakumar joined DAP in January, and any move by the Indian Business Association or its president could have deep repercussions in the Indian society in Johor.
-Sin Chew Daily

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