Saravanan takes dig at unity govt while stumping for it

MIC, despite being "most frustrated" with the unity government, will continue to support the Anwar Ibrahim administration, party deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan said.

He said country's oldest Indian party felt sidelined even though it supported the government.

"MIC should be most frustrated at the current government. All the parties (in Barisan Nasional) agreed to support Anwar and we made him the prime minister.

"But they (Pakatan Harapan and Umno) took all the positions and sidelined MIC and MCA," the former human resources minister told hundreds of Indians in Kuala Kubu Baharu last night.

Although he was stumping for the PH candidate for KKB, Saravanan could not hide his anger at the coalition government.

He took a swipe at PH for making all sorts of promises before the 2022 general election, only to renege on them.

"(During the campaign) they (PH) sang the "Hoi Hoi Ya Hoi" song, and (PH and BN) were blaming each other," he said.

"But in the end, everyone (PH and BN) got together and made the voters look foolish.

"They (PH) said that if they came to power, a lot would be abolished and changed…. But tell me, what has happened? Nothing."

Saravanan was referring to the "Hoi hoi ya hoi... Siapa sokong penyamun? (Who supports the thief?)" song Anwar featured in his election campaign. It lampooned the Umno "kleptocrat" leaders, in particular former prime minister Najib Razak and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Saravanan urged Indians to rise up and show that they could make a change, but only in the next general election.

"Don’t show the power of Indians in this by-election. Show them what Indians can do in the general election," he said.

At the same time Saravanan urged the Indian community to make the right choice at the May 11 KKB polls.

"I’m sure you’ll have made your choices by now. I don’t have to tell who to vote for," he said.

He said an opposition assemblyman would find it difficult to bring progress and development to the state constituency.

"There are only three years left (until the next general election).

"Don’t make the wrong choice. In this by-election, be smart and make the right choice.

"If you have a assemblyman from the party that is in the federal government, a lot can be done.

"So be wise when voting," he said.

Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and Jelutong MP RSN Rayer attended the event, as did the PH candidate for KKB, Pang Sock Tao.

The KKB seat in Selangor fell vacant following the death of its three-term DAP assemblyman Lee Kee Hiong on March 21.

The by-election is a four-cornered fight between Pang, Khairul Azhari Saut (Perikatan Nasional/Bersatu), Hafizah Zainuddin (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) and independent Nyau Ke Xin.

The KKB constituency has a mixed electorate of Malays (53.4)% Malays, Chinese (30.5%), and Indians (15.82%). The remainder is made up of Orang Asli and others.

There are 40,226 registered voters in KKB; Indian voters number 6,362 and could decide the outcome of the election. – May 3, 2024.