By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Faced with fierce competition for the political support of a two-million-strong community, the MIC is aggressively stepping up its campaign to promote and defend Indian interests.
It is actively and aggressively taking up the three key issues considered sacred to the Indian community — Hindu temples, Tamil schools and education opportunities — in order to regain its former pole position as community leader.
The Umno/Barisan Nasional is in no mood to demolish any more temples in the country and in fact is offering an olive branch by giving cash and other aid to both temples, schools and for education.
And the MIC is training its guns on Pakatan Rakyat-ruled states, especially Selangor.
The aim is to portray the PR government in Selangor as unfriendly to Indians by demolishing temples, shifting temples from one place to another and by putting non-Hindus in charge of Indian affairs.
The MIC has also taken up the issue of aid for Tamil schools, by arguing that what was given in terms of financial aid by the Selangor government was mere pittance compared to what was given to Chinese and Malay schools.
While the MIC has to compete with other pro-BN political parties for Indian support like the newly-formed Malaysia Makkal Sakthi Party, it also has to counter the DAP, PKR and even PAS, which is enjoying sizeable Indian support through its PAS Supporters Club, from undermining its support base.
The solution for the MIC is to rabidly champion Indian issues in a way and manner never done before.
To show Indians that it is their number one champion, the MIC is not only attacking the opposition but even Umno and other Barisan Nasional leaders have also come under criticism.
The use of the Tamil Nesan, the newspaper owned by MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, is significant as it is evolving into a significant defender of Indian interest.
At the same time Samy Vellu has to fight off rival Datuk S. Subramaniam and Umno leaders behind him, who all are trying to force Samy Vellu to quit the scene because of his lack of popularity with the Tamil masses.
But the recent Bagan Pinang by-election showed that nearly 65 per cent of Indian voters there who had backed PAS in 2008 had returned to BN.
While BN leaders generally credit the popularity of the candidate Tan Sri Mohamad Isa Samad and the 1 Malaysia concept for the success, the MIC says the return of Indian votes is largely because of its new aggressive policy to defend temples and Tamil schools and through the government, opening up new education opportunities and help for the Indian poor.
MIC circles credit Datuk S.K. Devamany, the deputy minister in charge of the EPU portfolio and who is close to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, for the flow in funds and scholarships and other assistance to Tamil schools and Indian students.
A recent incident also showed the farcical nature of MIC's new role as aggressive defenders of Indian interests, after two PR MPs in Selangor lodged a police report against Samy Vellu on Oct 28.
MPs S. Manikavasagam and Loh Gwo Burne alleged that Samy Vellu incited racial tension by alleging that the Selangor government had demolished the Madurai Veeran “temple” last week.
They said Samy Vellu’s statement was untrue and misleading because the demolished structure in Shah Alam was not a temple but a shrine frequented by gambling punters.
According to Manikavasagam, any religious structure could only be demolished with the approval of exco members Dr Xavier Jeyakumar, Ronnie Liu and Teresa Kok under the state’s policy.
Manikavasagam said: “There was no temple or any structure except a framed picture of (Hindu deity) Madurai Veeran which the caretaker had put there.”
But the “demolition” saw over a 200 MIC Youth leaders gather to protest at the site with placards and banners and received front-page coverage not only in the Tamil newspapers here but among the Indian diaspora across the world.
Samy Vellu hopes the new “aggression” will return the party to pole position and defeat not only new players like Makkal Sakthi but also MIC’s traditional enemies — the DAP and PKR.
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
