MIC has reportedly decided to stay in BN “at least for now”.
A report from Free Malaysia Today cited an unnamed party source as saying that BN currently remains a better option for MIC.
“Right now, Perikatan Nasional is fighting among themselves. We also feel Pakatan Harapan’s reputation and pull are declining,” he said.
Besides that, he said MIC grassroots are wary of aligning with PAS, an Islamist party that is a core member of PN.
“Some in the leadership may have seen working with PN as the way forward because Bersatu was still intact then.
“We were also fed up with BN. MIC was treated like a stepchild. We were not given proper treatment by Umno, especially when it came to seat allocations. There was a lot of frustration,” he added.
The source indicated that MIC will soon be holding talks with BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi about how the party can progress further.
He said growing optimism about working with Umno was driven by the Malay-based party’s recent move to reopen its doors to individuals and groups that had previously left.
He also voiced hope that the party’s momentum would strengthen with the potential return of former ministers Khairy Jamaluddin and Hishammuddin Hussein.
Malaysiakini has contacted MIC for comment.
Enquiries to possibly join PN
This comes ahead of MIC’s central working committee meeting next Wednesday (March 25), where the party will decide on its way forward.
On Tuesday (March 17), PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said MIC has become the fifth member of the opposition coalition.
He said MIC was accepted as a PN member in December last year, but it was only confirmed during the coalition’s last meeting on March 14.
In response, MIC deputy president M Saravanan told Malaysiakini that his party has not made any official application to join PN, but merely made enquiries about the possibility of joining during Muhyiddin Yassin’s time leading the coalition.
In November last year, Muhyiddin reportedly claimed that MIC had applied to join PN.
However, the party denied making any application to join the coalition, with MIC secretary-general S Ananthan explaining that the letter was not an official application, but was intended to obtain preliminary information before the party made any decision.
He further explained that MIC also requested clarification on PN’s commitment to the development of the Indian community, including issues on education, socio-economics, and political representation.
MIC had stated several times that it is considering leaving BN, citing dissatisfaction with its political position, especially after Umno, under Zahid’s leadership, established cooperation with Harapan.
Besides MIC, MCA is similarly concerned about seat allocations, which they consider more favourable to incumbent parties.
Under the BN-Harapan seat-sharing formula, MCA and MIC are expected to contest only a small number of seats in the next general election. - Mkini
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