MIC may be risking decades in the political wilderness if it parts ways with Barisan Nasional (BN), an analyst has warned ahead of the party’s annual general meeting in October.
Lau Zhe Wei of International Islamic University Malaysia said MIC, like MCA, has no role or presence within the unity government, not even symbolically.
However, Lau warned that quitting BN or striking out on its own would be a high-risk move on MIC’s part.
“Coming out today doesn’t mean you will win support tomorrow. You’ll have to struggle for a few years if you’re lucky, or even decades, before regaining support,” he told FMT.
He pointed to PKR‘s early years in the late 1990s, when it lacked a coherent voter bloc and struggled to garner support as a multiethnic party.
“But they hung on and struggled. They were quite lucky that by 2008, less than 10 years later, they broke into the political market. But this is not (a) guaranteed (outcome),” he said.
Lau also cited the experience of parties which left their coalition to forge their own paths, only to fail.
“Gerakan tried to go independent for one or two years, but felt that it couldn’t last that way. So they worked with Perikatan Nasional (PN).”
Lau said MIC has yet to demonstrate the kind of firmness needed to endure a struggle.
“Yes, grassroots leaders sometimes will mention (pulling out), but I don’t think it will materialise,” he added.
MIC, which holds only one parliamentary seat in Tapah, again voiced its dissatisfaction recently over being sidelined within the unity government, saying it felt like an “unwanted guest.”
Deputy president M Saravanan reportedly claimed the party had been promised a Cabinet post after the 2022 general election, only to be “cheated” when the promise was not fulfilled.
Akademi Nusantara’s Azmi Hassan, however, attributed MIC sidelining to the current political dynamics in play, with Umno prioritising its own MPs.
While MIC’s frustration is understandable, he said the party’s best bet was to stay in BN and hope that Umno can win more seats in the next general election.
“During the BN era, they (MIC) secured good Cabinet positions because Umno was the dominant party at the time.
“Umno is not dominant right now,” he said.
