TO what extent one may ask is the decision by MCA not to participate in the upcoming Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) state by-election has any bearing on the chances of unity government in retaining the seat held by incumbent DAP?
For the uninitiated, the MCA Political Development Committee has reached a unanimous decision yesterday (April 19) against campaigning in the KKB by-election if the proposed candidate is not a member of any Barisan Nasional (BN) component party.
Likewise, MIC, too, has unofficially hinted similar sentiment with its president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran having stated that MIC would stay out of the KKB by-election as the seat is very unlikely to be contested by a BN candidate.
It is no question that Malay support will gravitate toward Perikatan Nasional (PN) immaterial of the ethnicity of the candidate.
While the Chinese voters are believed to go along with PH/DAP, the resentment of the community is discernible in the way government failed to contain the sock-gate issue at the outset.
In the words of former DAP stalwart Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy, both DAP and PKR have been largely a disgrace especially when both portray themselves as multi-racial political parties.
“DAP has gone with the winds and I’m not sure if it’s MCA 2.0 except that it’s very much a toothless tiger today … this is most notably in subduing Akmal (UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh),” the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council chairman told FocusM. “Anthony Loke (DAP secretary-general) is just a passenger there.”
KKB falls under the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency which is currently represented by PN’s Mohd Hasnizan Harun. Roughly, it consists of 43% Malay voters, Chinese (33%), Indians (18%) and Orang Asli (5%).
Apart from KKB which is part of the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-BN) alliance, the Hulu Selangor constituency also comprised Hulu Bernam and Batang Kali, both of which come under PAS and Bersatu respectively.
Indians are kingmakers
As it is, there are allegations that some groups are going around urging Indians – deemed kingmakers in the KKB by-election – to boycott polling because of the way the community has been treated by the Madani government.
Indians are particularly unhappy towards Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for insulting them by calling them as “Keling”, refusing the appointment of an Indian Tamil minister and the miniscule financial allocations to the community, among others.
“If more than half of the 18% Indian voters vote against PH, there is possibility that the seat could be won by the opposition, PN,” observed Ramasamy who was the former Penang chief minister II.
“The KKB by-election will be a tightly fought election. It will provide a litmus test for the future political trajectory of the PH-led Madani government.”
On its part, Ramsamy reiterated Urimai’s stance to campaign hard to ensure Indians and other voters will not cast their vote in favour of the PH/DAP candidate.
“Urimai wants to teach the PH/DAP a painful lesson not to take Indian voters for granted,” asserted the former three-term Perai state assemblyman. “Urimai will lay bare the farcical nature of multi-racialism of PH especially its component parties the DAP and PKR.” – April 2024
