MIC will not go multiracial, vows Palanivel

Party supremo fears for the community's existence if they open membership to other races

SUBANG: MIC chief G Palanivel has declared that the largest Indian based party in the country will not go multiracial as it would “perish” if it did so.

“We have been always a community based party and we’ll perish if we go multiracial…the MIC is here to protect the heritage, language and politics of the Indians,” he said.

Palanivel said this when asked to comment on MIC deputy president and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam’s statement earlier this week that the party could go multiracial provided Umno takes the lead.

Subramaniam had said that MIC, with a membership base of 630,000 was ready to evolve from being an Indian-centric party towards one that is multi-ethnic.

He said political parties in Malaysia must transform in line with the feelings and expectations of the majority.

Subramaniam added that as far as MIC is concerned, if other parties in Barisan Nasional coalition are willing to do so, then MIC will have “no qualms” going forward in that direction.

However, Subramaniam has stressed that Umno, as the biggest coalition partner in BN, has to take the lead.

Last month, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek said his party is hoping to expand itself beyond being an ethnic-based entity.

“We no longer want to be a party which looks at an issue from a Malay, Chinese or Indian perspective,” he had said.

However, Palanivel’s statement yesterday throws a spanner in the works on this.

Speaking to newsmen after handing over RM740,000 of federal grants to 24 temples and RM81,000 to nine NGOs based in Selangor yesterday, Palanivel was confident that Umno will not open its membership to other races.

“Umno would not be multiracial unless it becomes United Malaysian National Organisation,” added Palanivel.

MIC eyes parliamentary seat in Kedah, Penang

Palanivel, who is also Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, hoped that the party would be given an opportunity to contest one parliamentary in Kedah and Penang respectively in the 13th General Election.

The party is usually allocated nine parliamentary and 19 state seats under the BN banner. It does not have a parliamentary seat in Kedah or Penang.

The MIC president, however, remained coy when asked which parliamentary seat he would contest. “As a party president, I can stand anywhere I want,” he said.

Palanivel was a three-term MP for Hulu Selangor before losing the seat in 2008.

He was dropped as a candidate in a subsequent by-election for the seat which fell vacant following the demise of an opposition incumbent to the seat.

The BN top leadership decided on nominating MIC’s budding star P Kamalanathan for the seat on the reason that it wanted a winnable candidate.

Kamalanathan managed to wrestle the seat from the opposition at the by-election.

Palanivel, who took over helm of the MIC on Dec 6, last year, said his immediate goal was to bring back Indian votes to the BN.
“Government must do many things for the Indians, then they will return,” he said.

On another note, the MIC chief said the RM2.5 million given to NGOs and Hindu temples was made available through the Implementation and Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department.