Leaders aligned with Perikatan Nasional (PN) say they are open to exploring cooperation with MIC, following the Indian party’s statement that it is prepared to engage in discussions with any political group to ensure its survival.
MIC president SA Vigneswaran announced on Saturday that the party was open to talks with other parties, acknowledging that MIC was in a weakened position and must take “reasonable steps” to rebuild.
Balachandran G Krishnan, information chief of PAS‘s non-Muslim supporters’ wing (DHPP), reminded MIC that collaboration with PN was “nothing new”, noting that MIC was previously part of the governments led by Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
While expressing openness to renewed cooperation, Balachandran emphasised that MIC must first understand the policies of PAS and other PN components to avoid misunderstandings.
“We welcome them, but they must understand the policies of the component parties, including PAS, so that their presence later does not cause any conflict,” he said.
Bersatu associate wing vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan also highlighted the potential for collaboration between MIC, his group, DHPP, Gerakan, and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP).
Sanjeevan acknowledged MIC’s grassroots strength and long-standing presence in Malaysian politics, saying support from the Indian community appeared to be recovering.
“I believe MIC can strengthen PN if they choose to cooperate,” he said.
MIPP president P Punithan said although he had a good relationship with Vigneswaran, they had never discussed any form of political cooperation.
Punithan also cautioned against overinterpreting Vigneswaran’s remarks, noting that the MIC president had recently expressed support for working closely with the unity government to implement the 13th Malaysia Plan.
Founded in 1946, MIC is one of Malaysia’s oldest political parties and a founding member of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. The party held key ministerial posts during BN‘s uninterrupted rule from 1957 to 2018 but has no posts in the current Cabinet.
MIC’s influence began to decline after the 2008 general election when dissatisfaction within the Indian community over issues such as inequality, discrimination, and a lack of representation led to a major shift away from BN.
The trend worsened in the 2013 and 2018 elections, with MIC losing further ground due to the public perception that it had failed to advocate effectively for Indian concerns. By the 2022 general election, MIC’s representation in Parliament had been reduced to just one seat.
MIC’s future came under scrutiny after deputy president M Saravanan said the party’s direction would be decided at its annual general meeting in October.
In an interview with Utusan Malaysia, Saravanan said MIC felt like an “unwanted guest” in the current government, with no posts offered despite the presence of senior political figures in its ranks.
However, BN chairman and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi insisted that MIC’s future would be more secure if it remained within the BN coalition.
