Despite boycott, MIC members campaign for Isa Samad in PD

PD POLLS | Several MIC members have been campaigning for the former Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Mohd Isa Samad in his bid as an independent candidate in the Port Dickson by-election.

This is despite the party’s decision not to take part in the by-election.

According to one MIC member campaigning for Isa in the Bagan Pinang state constituency, the party members are doing so in their personal capacity.

“We are not campaigning using the MIC logo or wearing BN or MIC shirts. We are campaigning on our own capacity,” the campaigner told Malaysiakini.

“We are also not violating the leadership’s decision because we are campaigning for an independent candidate instead of Umno,” added the campaigner who declined to be named.

Previously, MIC president SA Vigneswaran said his party will not be contesting in the Port Dickson by-election although the seat was traditionally contested by MIC since 1974.

Vigneswaran, who is also the Dewan Negara president, said MIC was boycotting the by-election out of disappointment towards Umno’s decision to unilaterally announce that BN will not be contesting in the by-election, without consulting its component parties MIC and MCA.

A MIC branch chief from Port Dickson said that he, as a Port Dickson voter, has the right to campaign and support the candidate of his choice.

“We respect the leadership’s decision. At the same time, we too have the freedom to choose our candidate,” he said.

He added that the majority of MIC members were campaigning for Isa out of loyalty towards him as the former Bagan Pinang assemblyperson.

“He helped us a lot when he was the assemblyperson. So, we will return the favour this time around. Our hope is to rally the support of Indian voters towards Isa rather than the PKR candidate Anwar Ibrahim,” he said.

He said their goal is to get a least half of the Indian Malaysian voters to vote for Isa. There are 2,199 ethnic Indian voters in the Bagan Pinang state constituency alone.

Meanwhile, former Port Dickson (then known as Teluk Kemang) MIC division chief R Balakrishnan admitted that some MIC members had been campaigning for Isa.

“I have heard there are MIC people campaigning for Isa, but I could not identify who they are,” he said when contacted.

“I do not wish to comment. It is up to the leadership to take any action against them. Whatever the leadership’s decision is, we will carry it out,” Balakrishnan added.

Isa and Anwar are among the seven candidates vying for the Port Dickson parliamentary seat.

Apart from PAS candidate Mohd Nazari Mokhtar, there are four other independent candidates: Lay Seck Yan, Stevie Chan, Kee Chee Yuen, and Anwar’s former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

There are 75,211 eligible voters in the constituency. Polling day is Oct 13. -Mkini