MIC not expected to leave BN

The BN special supreme council meeting scheduled for tomorrow at 10.30 am is an important meeting because it will decide the fate of the coalition. It is expected to chart BN’s new policy and direction.

The question now is whether BN will survive as the bulk of its partners have deserted the coalition. Racial issues within the coalition have reached a serious stage and must be dealt with immediately.

Sadly, racism has become prevalent in BN-Umno after the recent Cameron Highlands and Semenyih by-elections.

As for the MIC which is teetering on the brink of sinking, it is expected not to explore a new alliance but to stay with BN. The uncalled for racial remarks by Nazri Abdul Aziz in Semenyih had further damaged ties between the three BN founding parties.

Alternatively, if MIC decides to leave BN as part of its re-branding exercise, there may be a possible admission of the IPF, Makkal Sakthi and Kimma into BN. Kimma was made an associate of UMNO in 2010. IPF and Makkal Sakthi are BN-friendly parties.

During tomorrow's meeting, MIC is expected to raise strong objections on Nazri’s appointment as the secretary-general of BN and ask the Umno leadership to make a stand on his racial remarks.

Umno will be told to control its “hawkish” politicians and stick to the BN spirit. MIC is also expected to reprimand Umno leaders who called for the government to shut down vernacular schools. The interest of the component parties must be prioritised at all material times.

The MIC and MCA presidents had threatened to quit the coalition over racial remarks by BN secretary-general Nazri. But ironically, grassroots leaders and party members are of the opinion that MIC cannot survive in politics without Umno.

Like it or not, in the case of MIC leaving BN, Pakatan Harapan will not accept it as MIC does not add value to Harapan. MIC will remain a mosquito party and not be able to attract the Malay support as all the while it has been reliant on Umno-Malay votes.

MIC for sure cannot survive as a stand-alone race-based political party as support from all Malaysians is needed to win general elections.

The absence of Nazri, the secretary-general of BN at its supreme council meeting tomorrow will now give leeway to MIC and MCA to voice out their grievances.

After this, MIC must rebrand itself to take on new challenges and become a better MIC and take care of all races. Wildcat Nazri had lambasted MIC and MCA saying that both parties had been rejected by their communities.

Umno and PAS have now formally announced their political collaboration. Both parties have said that they want to unite the Muslims and bumiputera without sidelining any other race or religion.

Understandably, this gives the impression that their agenda is to create a new-Malay force versus the non-Malays.

Both MIC and MCA feel that with this, the very foundations of BN have been challenged and there is no mutual respect with this breach of unity in diversity within the three component parties of BN.

After the May 9 elections, Umno, MIC and MCA are traumatised and BN is in tatters. The 13-member BN is now left with only three members - Umno, MIC and MCA.

BN as a whole has to undergo total reform and return to where it started - a platform to fight for all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion.

The component parties should not squabble and instead discuss matters with the family spirit. BN needs to do soul-searching and reform instead of going into racism.

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M VIVEK served as an aide to several former MIC deputy ministers. - Mkini