KUALA LUMPUR, August 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he will have a meeting with MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran to persuade the Indian party to give its all to the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance in the August 12 state elections.
This follows allegations that MIC is being treated unfairly by its BN partner Umno, which is sending some of its Selangor grassroots leaders to express their intent to support the rival Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition as a show of protest.
Anwar said the meeting is to clear up misunderstandings within the PH-BN “unity government”, news portal Free Malaysia Today reported this morning.
“Tomorrow, I will talk to MIC president SA Vigneswaran. I want to meet all the MIC leaders so they do not misunderstand, we must work as a team.” he was quoted as saying in an election campaign speech in Jeram Padang, Negeri Sembilan last night.
Anwar added that no party in the unity government has the time for internal quarrels because the focus is solely on saving the country and its people.
He told the ethnic Indian community not to waste their votes and to support PH-BN as the ruling alliance has the best chance to resolve its problems.
“You are not going to get a fair team of leaders like we are trying to build now,” he was quoted as saying.
Free Malaysia Today had reported an unnamed MIC leader saying the meeting is to address the party’s alleged “ill treatment” by Umno during seat negotiations for the six state elections.
It also reported a leaked circular saying the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday this week.
Another news portal Malaysiakini had previously reported rumours that some 20 Selangor MIC division leaders have pledged to support PN in the state polls, which party president Vigneswaran has rubbished.
“It’s not true. It’s impossible for 20 MIC divisions in Selangor to declare support for PN without the leadership’s knowledge.
“The leadership’s message to MIC members is clear, that is to support BN candidates only,” Vigneswaran told Malaysiakini when contacted last night.
Selangor PAS secretary-general Roslan Shahir Mohd Shahir has been reported saying state PN deputy chief Datuk Ahmad Yunus Hairi recently met with 20 Selangor MIC division leaders and several other division leaders from MCA, including Kapar.
Both MCA and MIC are BN components and have previously announced that they will not be fielding any candidates in the state elections, but will campaign for BN.
MIC’s former Ijok assemblyman K. Parthiban had led a group of 50 Selangor MIC leaders to share a stage with PAS and declare support for PN because their party chose not to run in the six state elections.
MIC has since sacked Parthiban after he was seen sharing the stage with another PN leader Datuk Seri Azmin Ali who was formerly PKR deputy president.
