Selangor MIC left in limbo over ties with state Umno

The state MIC chief says Umno 'will only look for us whenever they want to organise a programme or if there’s a by-election'.

Attempts by Selangor MIC to reach out to Selangor Umno leaders were ignored, said state MIC chief Shankar Raj Ayengar.

KUALA LANGAT:

 Selangor MIC chairman Shankar Raj Ayengar says the state chapter has no working relationship with Selangor Umno.

Shankar today said attempts to reach out to Selangor Umno leaders have been ignored, and claimed that MCA was also facing the same problem.

“There’s no relationship. There is only a relationship when it’s election time and whenever they have a programme. After that, they don’t entertain us,” he told reporters after Selangor MIC’s annual general meeting here.

“When we asked the delegates whether they wanted to continue being in Barisan Nasional, the majority said no. Of course I have to agree with them, because they are the voice (of the grassroots),” he said when asked if he felt the same way.

Asked if ties with Umno had turned sour, he said: “I don’t know whether it’s sour or not, but they will only look for us whenever they want to organise a programme or if there’s a by-election.”

FMT is seeking comment from Selangor Umno leaders.

Asked about ties with the Pakatan Harapan state government, Shankar said there had been limited dialogue with state leaders after an initial meeting with Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari last year.

MIC’s position in BN has been placed in doubt following resolutions by the state parties in Kedah, Penang and Perak to withdraw from the former ruling coalition, of which MIC is a founding member.

Last week, MIC president SA Vigneswaran said that the party held informal discussions with the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional about its political direction, stating that the changing political dynamics and landscape called for action to ensure the party does not fall.

Vigneswaran said the party’s leadership was examining the matter seriously after the approval of several resolutions on MIC supporting PN and a possible exit from BN by the party’s state leaderships in Kedah, Penang and Perak.

Yesterday, the federal territories MIC approved a similar motion to urge the party’s central leadership to withdraw from BN.

MIC, which holds only one parliamentary seat in Tapah, recently voiced its dissatisfaction over being sidelined within the unity government, saying it felt like an “unwanted guest.”

Deputy president M Saravanan reportedly claimed the party had been promised a Cabinet post after the 2022 general election, only to be “cheated” when the promise was not fulfilled.

MIC, or the Malaysian Indian Congress, was set up in 1946 and was among the parties that led the fight for Malaya’s independence. It joined Umno and MCA to form the Alliance in 1954, which held power from independence until 2018. The Alliance party was enlarged to form BN in 1973. - FMT