FORMER two-term member of the MIC central working committee S Sunther said Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties MCA and MIC’s decision to sit out of the upcoming state polls has accidentally exposed a rift in the unity government.
Sunther, who left MIC in 2018 and joined Parti Warisan last year, pointed out that the decision of both parties indicates that Pakatan Harapan (PH) does not need MCA and MIC’s help to attract non-Malay voters, and that DAP is confident of attracting Chinese votes without the assistance of MCA, as proven by the voting pattern in the 2022 general election.
“Likewise, PKR and DAP don’t need MIC’s support to woo Indian voters. Perhaps this could also be a statement that Indian votes don’t matter in the six states. PH only needs UMNO badly to deliver the Malay votes,” Sunther was quoted as saying by FMT.
“Either way, a visible crack is seen in the unity government following the decision by MCA and MIC to stay out. They better repair that crack fast if they want to remain steadfast.”
Statistics from last year’s 15th General Election (GE15) indicate that MCA received 665,436 votes (4.29%), while MIC received 172,176 votes (1.11%) out of the 15.5 million votes cast.
Sunther, the son of former MIC vice president S. Subramaniam, argued that no coalition component, including the MCA and MIC, should be treated unfairly.
“It’s a given that anyone being treated badly will consider leaving their coalitions. This is a fact of life. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government must take cognisance of this development,” he asserted.
On Wednesday (June 5), MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon and his MIC counterpart RT Rajasekaran said that the parties had decided to not participate in the state elections in the six states.
However, they said they still pledge their allegiance to BN and will instead focus their energy on the next 16th General Election (GE16).
BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the two parties’ decision was unlikely to be a boycott and that he would seek an explanation from them and added that BN leaders will meet today (July 10) to discuss MIC and MCA’s decision to stay out of the polls.
On Thursday (June 6) last week, Kedah PAS deputy commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Sanusi Md Nor has extended an invitation for MCA and MIC to quit BN and join Perikatan Nasional (PN), saying he is ready to offer them mixed seats for the forthcoming state polls.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had promptly turned down the caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar’s offer, while MIC has yet to answer, according to Suresh. – July 10, 2023
