Analysts: Indians have found no place in Pakatan
(fz.com) – Political observers have attributed the swing in Indian votes back to the BN in the 13th general election to perceived uncertainty about the community’s place within Pakatan Rakyat.
The Opposition found itself stumbling badly in rural constituencies with high numbers of Indian voters, suffering setbacks in a number of seats.
KS Balakrishnan, a political analyst with Universiti Malaya, noted that BN attracted 60% of Indian votes this time round although Pakatan still retained its hardcore Indian supporters.
Balakrishnan put the swing down to the absence of the anger that had driven Indians away from the BN in 2008 and the community’s exclusion from Pakatan’s manifesto.
“Pakatan doesn’t have anything for the Indians but it isn’t brave enough to admit that aloud,” he said. “It is living its own myopic idea of democracy by trying to accommodate Islam while promoting liberalism”.
He said that if Pakatan truly championed liberal democracy, then it would be critical of PAS’ concept of an Islamic state.
“But it dares not say that there is no place for religion in politics otherwise it will lose the support of the people and possibly a coalition member,” Balakrishnan said.
Monash University’s well-known political analyst, James Chin, observed that the Indians are more forgiving and less united as a community, compared to the other ethnic groups.
He pointed out that unlike the Chinese who had DAP veteran and newly-elected Gelang Patah MP, Lim Kit Siang, as their iconic leader, the Indians had no one to rally behind.
“They can’t even call Hindraf their leader anymore,” Chin said. “The moment (Hindraf chairman P) Waythamoorthy signed that (Memorandum of Understanding) with BN, the ground was polarised. The Indians have no middle ground anymore”.
