JOHOR BARU – MIC will mobilise its nearly 3,000-member machinery to give support to and help achieve victory for Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Suhaizan Kaiat in the Pulai parliamentary by-election.
MIC vice-president Datuk M. Asojan said there are 20,508 or 12.31% of Indian voters in the Pulai parliamentary constituency, which can be significant in helping the candidate representing the PH-Barisan Nasional alliance to win.
He, however, admitted that the Indian voters won’t be the determinant or kingmaker in the by-election if the Malay and Chinese votes are split.
“We cannot openly declare ourselves as the kingmaker, because this is a by-election and the result will depend on the percentage of voter turnout.
“Any race, if their voter turnout is low, will affect the outcome.
“However, the number of Indian voters is significant and we must strive to ensure at least 50% of them turn out to vote on September 9,” he told reporters after meeting the Indian community at the Johor State Registered Federation of Indian Associations Office here last night.
On the support shown by the Indian community in the constituency to Suhaizan, Asojan said he is confident of solid backing for the PH candidate following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s commitment to help address the community’s problems within one year, including the issue of poverty.
“There is definitely some dissatisfaction over certain matters, including recent issues...raising doubts and scepticism among the MIC machinery.
“But MIC president Tan Sri S. A. Vigneswaran has provided clarification so that we will continue to support the unity government.
“This is due to the promise made by the prime minister himself (to the Indian community) that he will make sure all Indian community-related problems and matters are taken note of, besides asking for a one-year period, so we trust him,” he said.
On August 2, Anwar was also reported to have said that he would study MIC’s request for its party representatives to be given a bigger role in the government. – Bernama, September 1, 2023
