DISBAND MIC – WHY SHOULD IT EXIST IF IT DOESN’T DARE CONTEST CAMERONS BUT PUT UMNO’S INTEREST BEFORE ITS OWN CONSTITUENTS

With MIC having opted to sit out of two consecutive by-elections, DAP’s Perai assemblyperson P Ramasamy has suggested that the BN party withdraws outright from the Malaysian political scene.

Ramasamy pointed out that MIC traditionally contests in Port Dickson (previously know as Teluk Kemang) and Cameron Highlands, but has stepped aside to allow Umno to contest instead.

“It doesn’t matter who wins. If it still feels that it is an Indian party and it has a good record in the past, why can’t it put up a candidate in Cameron Highlands? Why does it need to listen to Umno?

“They said they are representing Indians, and yet they are giving up without a murmur to Umno… If they have no dignity, no shame, why doesn’t the party either fold up and exit the Malaysian political scene, or just convert the MIC into a social club for some of the diehard MIC members.

“Why should it exist? If it is a political party, contest lah. Go and contest in Cameron Highlands!” the Penang deputy chief minister told Malaysiakini last night.

Of the 32,048 registered voters in Cameron Highlands, 34 percent are Malays, 30 percent Chinese, 22 percent others, and 15 percent Indians.

Although the seat is traditionally contested by MIC candidates, a source in the MIC central working committee said the MIC has decided not to contest the seat.

Instead, the BN leadership will decide on the candidate for the Jan 26 by-election, which was called after an Election Court ruled out MIC vice-president C Sivarraajh’s electoral victory in Cameron Highlands on grounds of corrupt practices.

MIC and the rest of BN had also sat out of the Port Dickson by-election on Oct 13 last year, which PKR president Anwar Ibrahim eventually won with a large 23,560-vote majority.

However, for the upcoming Cameron Highlands by-election, Ramasamy said it could not be taken for granted that DAP candidate M Manogaran would win.

Manogaran was defeated by Sivarraajh in the 14th general election by a mere 600-vote margin.

– M’kini