MIC could make comeback if structural changes in place in BN top leadership

SHAH ALAM - There is a possibility for MIC to make a comeback, only if there are structural changes in the top leadership of Barisan Nasional (BN), political analysts say.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) political analyst Dr Abdul Aziz Azizam said such a shift in the political direction might give MIC a chance to regain its prominence among Indian voters.

"The possibility of MIC returning as the main party representing the Indian community still exists.

"This could happen if there are structural changes in the top leadership of BN that places a more significant focus on the party's component members," he told Sinar Daily.

Aziz said moving away from race-based politics could be an option for Indian voters, however this acceptance might not be widespread, except for in Selangor.

"We can see that MIC has faced quite a major failure and declined in influence following the poor performance of the BN coalition in several past elections.

"At the same time, we have not seen any drastic recovery initiatives from MIC themselves to regain its role in representing the Indian community.

"In Selangor, the Indian population is the highest at 44 per cent and the behaviour and composition of the public in Selangor seem to prefer non-race-based parties," he said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Dr Oh Ei said there were many other parties which could champion the particular concerns of the Indian community, namely DAP and PKR.

"They have more Indian MPs than MIC, testifying to the Indian community’s political acceptance of them," he said.