MIC grassroots leaders worry about shift in Indian support to PN

A leader from the Klang Valley says MIC has not been doing much work on the ground, while a Melaka leader says Indians are disappointed with the federal government.

(FMT) – Several MIC grassroots leaders have expressed concern over the party’s dwindling support among Indians, saying they have noticed more from the community leaning towards Perikatan Nasional (PN) lately.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an MIC grassroots leader from the Klang Valley claimed that even Indians in urban areas were shifting their support to PN.

“The party (MIC) has not been doing much groundwork and engaging with the people, whereas PN has been very active in this regard.

“Whether it is election season or not, PN has been working aggressively with the local community, especially PAS which has a very strong grassroots base,” he told FMT.

If this continued, he warned, the unity government might not enjoy much Indian support in upcoming elections.

“We already saw a massive surge of Indian support for PN during the six state elections last August, and it will only continue to increase,” he added.

MIC’s umbrella coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) is a partner in the unity government alongside Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak, among others.

MIC witnessed its worst electoral performance at the 15th general election in November 2022, winning only one parliamentary seat – one down from the two it won in 2018.

MIC and MCA sat out the six state elections last August, which saw PH and Umno soundly defeated in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan while losing several seats in Selangor and Penang.

A study by analyst Bridget Welsh, published by Malaysiakini, revealed that Indian votes for PH had dropped by 21%, 19%, and 12% in Negeri Sembilan, Penang, and Selangor, respectively.

On the other hand, Indian votes for PN in Penang, Negeri Sembilan, and Selangor increased by 29%, 19%, and 14%, respectively.

An MIC grassroots leader from Melaka said one reason Indian support for BN had dropped was disappointment with the federal government.

“The Indians had very high expectations of Anwar Ibrahim, but once he became prime minister, many promises were not kept.”

Meanwhile, a grassroots leader from Negeri Sembilan said BN must start working at the grassroots level to regain the trust of the Indians.

“There is no Indian-based party bigger than us in this country, and if we don’t start working on the ground, another party could just come in and take over that position,” he said, citing the new Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) as an example.

MIPP was unveiled last year by former Selangor MIC Youth chief P Punithan, who is the party’s president. Former Penang DAP deputy chairman P Ramasamy also launched his own Indian party, Urimai, in November.

The grassroots leader added that government leaders should go down to the ground and help MIC regain the trust of Indian voters.

“There is no point in us going to the ground on our own because the people will look down on us, as there is no representation from MIC in the Cabinet. Therefore, some leaders in the government must vouch for us, too.”