Candidate fumble may cost BN dearly
From another point of view, some local Umno leaders are also said to be working against the candidate from MIC as they know very well that if MIC fails once more to wrest the seat, then the seat will go to Umno during the next general election.
By R Mutharasan, Free Malaysia Today
COMMENT The confusion surrounding the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election is bound to be costly for the ruling coalition.
First and foremost is Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s failure to secure a leadership transition plan from MIC president S Samy Vellu ahead of naming the candidate.
Knowing very well that Samy Vellu’s leadership is a major stumbling block in winning back the support of the Indian community, Najib should have used every means possible to ensure that the veteran announces the date of his resignation before the candidate is named.
Another wrong approach taken by the BN-Umno leadership which has not gone down well with Indian voters is the way they ignored and snubbed MIC’s party’s hierarchy.
When it was publicly announced that MIC deputy president G Palanivel was the only name proposed by the party for the seat, the BN leadership should have made a quick decision in either accepting or rejecting his candidature.
For two weeks prior to the announcement, Palanivel was actively campaigning in the constituency giving the impression to voters that he, as the Hulu Selangor MIC division chief, would be the final choice of MIC and BN.
The last-minute switch has definitely infuriated his supporters in the constituency.
