KUALA LUMPUR – Despite announcing that it will continue to contest in all nine of its traditional parliamentary seats in the 15th general election (GE15), MIC is expected to give up one and try its luck in two new seats.
According to sources in the party, MIC is expected to contest Teluk Intan in Perak in place of Cameron Highlands (Pahang), which was given to Umno during a by-election in 2019.
The matter is said to have been discussed with Umno on the condition that the Indian party was given Teluk Intan, with MIC vice-president Datuk T. Murugiah appointed as coordinator in the constituency.
The Cameron Highlands by-election was held after the Election Court on November 30, 2018 declared the victory of Datuk C. Sivarraajh from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 14th general election (GE14) null and void, when it was found that corrupt practices had occurred to influence voters there.
However, BN defended the Cameron Highlands seat after its candidate Ramli Mohd Nor, from the Semai Orang Asli community, won the by-election with a majority of 3,238 votes.
In GE14, MIC contested nine parliamentary seats, namely Sg Siput and Tapah in Perak; Sg Buloh, Hulu Selangor, Kapar, and Kota Raja in Selangor; Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan; Segamat in Johor, and Cameron Highlands in Pahang.
However, it only won in Tapah and Cameron Highlands and was left with only Tapah when the latter went to Umno.
Meanwhile, MIC is also expected to contest in Padang Serai in Kedah for the first time in GE15 as an additional seat, taking over from MCA, with Sivarraajh appointed as coordinator for the constituency.
Sivarraajh, who is also a former MIC vice-president, said he had worked in the area for more than two years since 2019 after the former Cameron Highlands MP succeeded in his appeal to overturn the decision of the Election Commission (EC) prohibiting him from contesting or voting in elections for five years.
“I have worked in Padang Serai for over two years and have helped the community in this area during the movement control order following the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said when contacted today.
He filed for a judicial review on December 31, 2018 to apply for an order to set aside the decision of the EC, which was communicated to him by a letter dated December 28, 2018, disallowing him from contesting or voting in any election for five years from December 13, 2018.
Following the EC decision, Sivarraajh could not contest in the Cameron Highlands by-election.
In GE14, Teluk Intan, contested by Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong for BN, fell to DAP when Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming won with a majority of 11,179 votes, while BN’s MCA candidate Datuk Leong Yong Kong lost in Padang Serai to PKR candidate Karupaiya Mutusami, who won with a majority of 8,813 votes. – Bernama, October 13, 2022
