Selangor Indian Consultative Council out to woo community to back PH

 

DAP’s Charles Santiago said Indians comprise at least 10% of the voters in 36 of the 56 state seats in Selangor.

PETALING JAYA: Indian voters could be possible kingmakers in 36 of the 56 state seats in Selangor, DAP’s Charles Santiago said.

In view of this, he said, the Selangor Indian Consultative Council (SICC) is working hard to convince the community to come out to vote for Pakatan Harapan on Aug 12.

Santiago, who sits on the council, said Indian voters make up a minimum of 10% in the 36 seats, with the number as high as 21% in some constituencies.

“These are the constituencies where they can play a role in favour of PH,” the former Klang MP told FMT.

He said the Indian vote was crucial to ensure a high voter turnout that would help PH and Barisan Nasional to secure a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.

PH had previously voiced concerns that a low voter turnout would swing in Perikatan Nasional’s favour.

A slim win would mean the issue of instability would prolong, Santiago said, adding that there was a need to make sure “it doesn’t happen”.

Santiago said a two-thirds majority was also vital to counter a racially tinted narrative the opposition was pushing.

He alleged that based on feedback he was getting from the ground, PN was pushing a narrative that Malaysia belonged to a particular race and that the others were merely migrants.

“This election can exacerbate such a mindset, and it has to be stopped right now,” he said.

He said Indian support for PH currently stood at 75%, an increase of 15% after the last general election.

For the six state elections, he said, there was a need for 85% of the Indian voters to come out, which is why the SICC was also reaching out to voters in Negeri Sembilan and Kedah.

He said getting the community to come out and vote was challenging as they could be easily swayed since they were a “vulnerable community”. Election fatigue also ran high among the community.

Despite this, he said, the council was engaging with social media influencers to get the message out. It was also working with NGOs as well as professional and women’s groups.

“Not many people, especially the Indians, are coming out for ceramahs as they are mostly on TikTok,” he said. - FMT