Mic Chief Accuses Zahid Of Lying Declares Loss Of Confidence

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MIC president SA Vigneswaran has accused BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of lying to the former’s party.
Vigneswaran, who has led the party since 2018, said he lost confidence in Zahid’s leadership and therefore has held several meetings with the MIC grassroots to determine the party’s future.
He was reacting to the Umno president, who claimed in a recent interview that a study found MCA and MIC grassroots members do not wish to leave the coalition their parties have been a part of for decades.
Without naming anyone, Zahid suggested that some leaders throw a tantrum when they are not given “toys”, and claimed their complaints do not reflect the sentiments on the ground.
MIC president SA Vigneswaran“Instead of seeking the views of the MIC grassroots, he (Zahid) should be asking the Umno grassroots why Malay support for the party is dwindling, particularly in Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis,” Vigneswaran said.
“If he conducts a study with the Umno grassroots, he would know why and because of whom Umno has lost Malay support. He hasn’t done that. So why does he want to know what the MIC grassroots think?
“We (MIC) have no issue with him meeting the grassroots, but his statistics are inaccurate. What I can say is that it’s not a mistake - he lied about the findings,” Vigneswaran told reporters at the MIC headquarters today.
A question of govt positions
According to Zahid, he met with MCA and MIC leaders “two or three times” last week amid speculation about the parties’ direction. As for the federal opposition seeking to meet MIC representatives, Zahid reportedly said there was no restriction.
Responding to a question on whether MCA and MIC had been sidelined under the administration, Zahid said it was the two parties that did not want government positions.
“But if they want it now, they have to wait until the next general election. When we perform, then certainly we will work towards placing all our partners in the cabinet. However, what is important is that we win first,” the deputy prime minister added.
BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid HamidiHowever, both Vigneswaran and MCA president Wee Ka Siong pushed back against Zahid’s remarks that painted their parties as upset children.
ADSWee and Vigneswaran said that contrary to Zahid’s remarks, neither MCA nor MIC were interested in “toys” or positions as the BN chairperson alleged.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Wee said MCA wanted to be treated fairly.
MCA and MIC are exploring the possibility of exiting BN amid continued dissatisfaction over their lot in national politics ever since Umno, under Zahid, cosied up to Pakatan Harapan.
Chief among their concerns is that they will only be given a handful of seats to contest in the next general election, as Harapan and BN’s seat-sharing formula puts emphasis on incumbents keeping their seats.
MCA has two parliamentary seats, while MIC has one.
No issues with Anwar
Commenting further, Vigneswaran said his party had no issues with the Madani government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
PM Anwar Ibrahim“I want to say that the prime minister maintains a good relationship with MIC. We have no issues with him.
“Our issue lies solely with the BN chairperson. This is an open secret. Who is supposed to defend MIC in government? That’s BN’s job. But BN (Umno) has failed to defend MIC in the government today,” he added.
No more trust
When asked by Malaysiakini whether MIC would reconsider staying in BN if the coalition were willing to listen to its concerns, Vigneswaran replied that he has lost confidence in Zahid.
“That’s why I’m seeking the views of our branches, divisions, and state liaison bodies to determine the party’s future,” he said.
BN supporters in Kedah, November 2022However, he did not elaborate on what caused him to lose confidence in Zahid’s leadership, and added that MIC still had several options should it decide to leave BN.
“We never said MIC would work with Perikatan Nasional. That’s just one option.
“We could also cooperate with Harapan or contest under our own logo. There are many possibilities. All will be revealed at our party’s annual general meeting next month,” Vigneswaran added. - Mkini

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