Only crumbs left for MIC in Perak

ARCHIVES 2013

By admin-s On Mar 22, 2013

(Free Malaysia Today) – The party, under G Palanivel, is being given the cold shoulder and told to stand in queue for the leftovers of state seats in Perak.

The MIC is facing an uphill battle in its struggle to secure four state seats in Perak. In the 2008 general election, the party lost in Sungkai, Hutang Melintang, Pasir Panjang and Behrang.

That miserable performance provided grist to Umno’s mill to flex its muscles, and the long-time Barisan Nasional component party is now fighting to pick up whatever is left of the crumbs.

As an equal partner of BN during the tenure of S Samy Vellu, the party enjoyed cordial relationship with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and had some measure of respect.

Samy Vellu’s combative personality and aggressive nature ensured that he got what he wanted but the political equation has changed with his exit.

The MIC, under G Palanivel, is being given the cold shoulder and told to stand in the queue for the leftovers of state seats in Perak.

Umno has taken over the Malay-majority state seats of Pasir Panjang and Behrang and the MIC is being compensated for these seats with the promise of the posts of senator and state speaker.

MIC, realising that with the loss of these two seats to Umno, it may be politically vulnerable, has demanded another two state seats as replacements from Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Umno obliged with the state seats of Sungkai and Tronoh held by MCA, which had earlier agreed to give up its Buntong seat, which has the highest number of Indian voters, to MIC.

But the giving away of these two MCA seats did not go down well with its (MCA’s) grassroots and state leaders, and they started to demand back these two Chinese-majority seats.

According to MIC sources, Umno has agreed to MCA’s demand, but has offered the Gerakan-held Aulong state seat and MCA-held Sitiawan state seat as alternatives to MIC.

Gerakan chief Koh Tsu Koon made a hurried trip down to Taiping to cool frayed nerves of Gerakan Aulong branch members who refused to let go of the state seat to MIC.