MIC quitting BN because of Umno the bully

Long Time MIC Observer

Big bully Umno should bear the responsibility for the demise of Barisan Nasional coalition which has been in existence since 1957.

Initially Umno together with MCA and MIC formed Alliance but was later renamed as Barisan Nasional in 1973 and held power until 2018.

The recent decision of MIC to break ranks with Barisan Nasional to join Perikatan Nasional has not been received well by Umno members who have criticised the decision.

Many who have not even attended an MIC meeting or an annual general meeting have been using the social media to vent their frustrations against the decision.

In reality, only by attending these meetings, one can get to know the true feelings and the sentiments of the MIC members and not through dependence on third parties.

MIC, following their dissatisfaction with their membership in BN, has unanimously decided to leave the coalition and seek a new alliance with Perikatan Nasional. They gave the mandate to the party leadership to take the final decision.

Former MIC vice president Datuk T Mohan said that Barisan is aware of MIC’s dissatisfaction but had they done anything to find out the issues and resolve them through discussions with MIC.

“Umno should be brave enough to ask themselves whether they have been fair to their loyal component parties. They have usurped all the benefits and left MIC to fend for themselves

“MIC has been subservient to big bully Umno for too long and they have come to a situation where they can’t tolerate them anymore.

“There are now various options available for MIC and they can fight with their honour and pride intact. They did not sell themselves like certain politicians for the own selfish interests,” he said.

Umno was so arrogant that they wanted to dictate on who should lead the MIC.

“The MIC members have not forgotten the way certain Umno leaders treated the late Tun Samy Vellu (MIC President) after his devastating loss in 2008 general election,” Mohan said.

Umno also does not realise that the 26 parliamentary seats they won in the last general elections was due partly to the support of Indians and Chinese to Barisan.

“When the Indian votes were delivered for Barisan, the MIC was held in high esteem and when Umno lost, MIC became the scapegoat,” he said.

This same sentiment was echoed by MIC strategy director Senator Datuk Sivaraajh Chandran who said that the collapse of Indian support for MIC was not due to internal failure, but the direct consequence of decisions, policies and missteps by Umno, which controlled the government and all major institutions.

The decline of Indian support for MIC and Barisan Nasional did not originate from weaknesses within the party but was caused by political errors of the Umno-led administration that held real authority in government.

As far back as the Kampung Medan tragedy in 2001, the Indian community believed they were abandoned and unfairly targeted by state agencies under federal control.

From 2007 onwards, controversies involving temple demolitions, unilateral conversions and “body-snatching” cases were managed by federal and religious authorities dominated by Umno. Although MIC protested and appealed, but final decisions rarely favoured the community.

The massive HINDRAF rally in 2007 was not aimed solely at MIC but a direct reaction to an Umno-led government that appeared indifferent to legitimate Indian concerns.

The MIC leaders repeatedly cautioned Umno about rising anger within the Indian community but these warnings were brushed aside as “minor issues”, and short-term political thinking prevailed over long-term stability and harmony.

Sivaraajh said, in both 2008 and 2018, Indian voters did not reject MIC but they rejected the coalition as a whole, just as Malay and Chinese voters.

He said MIC had remained loyal to Barisan Nasional, sacrificed seats and accepted junior partner status to ensure continued representation for Indians.

“This loyalty was used, not rewarded. Today many former critics privately acknowledge that MIC was more victim than villain, blamed for failures it did not cause and did not have the power to prevent.

“The lesson for MIC is clear, never again accept responsibility without real authority. Future partnerships must guarantee MIC genuine policymaking power on matters involving the Indian community.,” he said.

Sivaraajh said MIC has the organisational capacity, history and grassroots presence to continue providing that leadership and did the best within the limited authority it possessed.

“Responsibility for Barisan Nasional’s downfall lies with those who controlled the government and steered it into decline. MIC was not the architect of BN’s defeat but a mere passenger in a vehicle driven recklessly by others” he said.

Among the options for MIC is that they could join hands with Perikatan Nasional which has a strong Malay base of voters or even Pakatan Harapan with Parti Keadilan Rakyat and DAP.

But Umno will be in dire straits, having to contend with Parti Keadilan Rakyat, Bersatu and Pas for the Malay support.

In the end, MIC would be more willing to take their chances with coalitions which give respect to their component partners rather than bring sub-subservient.