MIC takes note of 'desperate' Zahid's warning - Vigneswaran

 

MIC president SA Vigneswaran said his party is in no rush to make a decision on whether or not to leave BN.

Instead, he said it was BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who appeared overly eager for MIC to immediately decide on its direction.

This is after Zahid warned MIC not to regret its decision if the party chooses to leave the coalition.

"Let us make our own decision. Why is Zahid so desperate? In any case, we take note of Zahid's warning," Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini.

"MIC does not need to be pressured into making a decision in an unstable political climate.

"Whatever it is, MIC will make a decision soon and inform the BN leadership via letter in the near future," he said.

He was commenting on Zahid's speech on Sunday, stating that parties leaving BN should not regret their decision, as politics is dynamic and the landscape constantly changes.

Zahid also took a swipe at MIC, claiming the party kept "coming in and going out", while alleging there were applications to rejoin Perikatan Nasional, without specifying who he was referring to.

Previously, MIC said it had only sent a letter to PN enquiring about its membership process.

‘No objections to other parties’

Vigneswaran also proposed that BN hold a supreme council meeting if it truly wished to admit “BN-friendly” parties into the coalition.

"MIC has no objections if BN wants to open its doors to other parties.

"In fact, MIC is ready to support the entry of various small race and community-based parties.

"Although we are not desperate, we do see that some parties are rushing to make decisions," he said.

Among the BN-friendly parties are the Indian Progressive Front, Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress, Makkal Sakthi, Parti Punjabi Malaysia, Parti Cinta Malaysia, Malaysian Advancement Party, Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia, and the Malaysian Indian United Party.

MIC had previously been an obstacle for the Indian-based parties from joining BN as members.

MIC is assessing the possibility of leaving BN, partly due to dissatisfaction with their political position, especially after Umno, under Zahid’s leadership, formed a cooperation with Pakatan Harapan.

In addition to MIC, MCA is also concerned about the allocation of election seats, which they feel favours incumbent parties.

Under the BN–Harapan seat allocation formula, MCA and MIC are expected to receive only a small number of seats to contest in the upcoming general election. - Mkini