MIC expected to resist BN direct membership proposal

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC is expected to resist the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s proposal to allow membership for friendly individuals, political parties and non-governmental organisations.
This is because the party, which boasts of 630,000 members, will lose its “monopoly” at the Barisan supreme council when it comes to Indian matters if other Indian-based political parties are allowed to join, say political pundits.
“This proposal, if it comes into effect, will definitely ensure more Indian participation in the Barisan. Presently, there is the veto power or the consensus system which requires all component parties to agree before an applicant is allowed into the Barisan.
“Once this is removed, there will be more Indian political parties coming into the Barisan.
“The MIC will definitely lose its dominance but it will be a boon to the Indian community as the Barisan leadership will be able to hear directly the problems faced by Indians, generally from various parties, rather than just from the MIC alone,” said former MIC vice-president Tan Sri M. Mahalingam.
Last Friday, Prime Minister and Barisan chief Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the coalition would amend its constitution to admit Barisan-friendly individuals, political parties and non-governmental organisations.
The 1.8 million-strong Malaysian Indian community is fragmented into various groups and the community has at least six political parties to choose from.
The six parties are the MIC, People’s Progressive Party or PPP (although multiracial, the party is predominantly made up of Indians), Indian Progressive Front (IPF), Malaysian Indian United Party (MIUP), the newly-formed Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party and the proposed Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf).
Of the parties above, only the MIC and PPP are in the Barisan. It is an open secret that IPF’s applications to join the grand coalition in the past were shot down by the MIC.
If the latest proposal is to become a reality, political observers expect the IPF, MIUP and Makkal Sakthi, who are all Barisan-friendly, to apply to join the coalition.
While inclusion of these parties would eclipse MIC’s dominance in the Barisan, it will directly increase Indian participation in the ruling coalition, which is desperate to win the hearts and minds of the now-fragmented Indian community.
At the last general election in 2008, the community deserted the Barisan, which it had supported over the last 50-odd years, by backing the Opposition.
Out of the nine parliamentary and 19 state seats contested at the polls under the Barisan banner, the MIC managed to win only three parliamentary and seven state seats.
“The Indian votes are split and the MIC alone cannot do the job of bringing back these votes. The Barisan top leadership realises that for the coalition to succeed, it needs the backing of all communities in the country.
“What the MIC wants, is for the party leaders to decide ... the Barisan can’t decide for all,” said Mahalingam, a former deputy minister.
Political analyst Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria feels that the Barisan’s move to woo those with similar ideologies and providing them access to voice their grouses would be good for the coalition.
“However, the Barisan should be cautious in its approach of allowing members in. It should allow those who have an impact on the electorate, meaning those who have and will bring in the votes.
“Enlarging the coalition by allowing more parties to join does not mean more votes. It should pick quality alliances and weed out bogus parties,” said the former head of Yayasan Strategik Sosial, the MIC think-tank.
He said the Barisan should only allow those who had similar political ideologies as the coalition and encourage smaller or splinter parties to consolidate or merge before joining.
“So far, as I see it, these Indian parties have the same ideology. For these parties, it is more of personality conflicts which are preventing them from merging into bigger entities. Definitely, this proposal will receive some resistance from the MIC.
“It must be noted that having many splinter parties does not necessarily enhance the Barisan. Consolidation of political parties and opening up Barisan membership may be the way forward for the ruling party. Small parties from small ethnic communities do not make a big difference in votes,” he said. -- Bernama

tunku : mic is no longer the major party for indians.it is time for bn to consider for the other indian based party to join the bn coalition.the current leadership of mic can't bring back the support from the majority indian voters.bn should not just listen to mic alone on accepting other indian based party into bn.all the component party should gives their views and decision should be made for the best of bn not just a single party.