A Kedah Barisan Nasional leader wished MIC “all the best” after the party’s Kedah chapter passed a motion to work with Perikatan Nasional in the next general election.
Kedah BN information chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said the motion signalled Kedah MIC‘s unwillingness to continue working with BN to strengthen their political presence in the state.
If this was the will of MIC’s grassroots, he said, BN would not beg for the support of those who had turned their backs on the coalition.
“Kedah MIC is free to make its own political choices. But let it be clear to all that once the door is opened for you to leave, do not one day return demanding seats, privileges, or space in BN after having made your choice to support the other side.
“Loyalty is not something to be toyed with, traded during elections and reclaimed in times of difficulty,” he told FMT.
The motion was raised by a Kedah MIC delegate at the party’s state annual general meeting yesterday, which was also attended by MIC president SA Vigneswaran.
Kedah MIC chairman SK Suresh said, however, that the motion would be brought to the central leadership for a final decision, China Press reported.
Kedah has been led by menteri besar Sanusi Nor from PN since May 2020.
Shaiful, who is also the Kedah Umno information chief, believed Kedah MIC’s decision was driven by the desire to secure more seats and safeguard its political survival, after feeling sidelined in the unity government.
“Kedah BN has never feared changes in the political landscape, especially when it involves parting ways with any component party.
“For us, losing partners who no longer share our direction is not a loss; it is actually an opportunity for the state chapter to move faster and with greater focus, without the burden of appeasing those who are no longer with us,” he said.
‘Stop with the posturing’
Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi described Kedah MIC’s motion to work with PN as “mere posturing” as it lacked the courage to table a motion to leave BN altogether.
“Yes, joining PN might mean contesting more seats, but what’s the point of contesting many seats if you lose them all?” he said in a Facebook post.
He cited the case of Gerakan president Dominic Lau contesting the Bayan Lepas state seat in the 2023 election and losing because he did not have the backing of PAS members.
In comparison, Puad said, MCA president Wee Ka Siong contested the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat in the 15th general election and, with Umno‘s backing, won the Malay-majority seat with a larger majority than in the previous nationwide polls.
“MIC deputy president M Saravanan contested in Tapah, a Malay-majority seat (and won). But MIC’s president wasn’t as fortunate; he contested in Sungai Siput, MIC’s former stronghold, not Umno’s. With only 35% Malay voters there, Vigneswaran lost,” he said.
