The Mic Dilemma Evolve Or Dissolve

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EVERY move by MIC is now being watched closely and there have been reports of the party seeking the advice of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak as to whether to stay or leave Barisan Nasional (BN).
The party is overwhelmed with fears and worries about its future and the reactions and political fall-out among Indians and others.
The MIC leadership has to resolve whether it needs to evolve or dissolve at this crucial juncture of the party’s existence.
Over the decades the party gradually began to lose support of the Indian community and the Hindraf Rally, which gave vent to the pent-up fury and frustrations of the community, was the final straw that broke its spine.
Parallel to the gradual losing of support was the the rural-urban migration of Indians from the 1990s onwards who were not constrained by the rural life in the plantations.
It was a generational change and MIC was not prepared for the consequences of this massive urban paradigm shift and it rapidly began losing support.
MIC leader Tun Samy Vellu’s loss in the general election in 2008 said it all and it became a rudderless party made worse by shocking changes at the national level when BN lost the general election in 2018.
Suffice to say, the  party lost both significance and relevance in a rapidly transforming political landscape.
However, not everything is lost for this 70-year-old party. Visionary leaders able to adapt and evolve to overcome the present difficulties can kickstart a new future for the party.
The old system of branch and divisional leaders has to go as they serve to divide the community further apart from historical rifts and splits like the caste, religious, ethnic and linguistic groupings.
Coupled with this the MIC leadership needs to consider its future with BN or Perikatan Nasional or better still be part of a Third Force.
MIC has good but difficult choices to make. In my opinion unless Najib is released on house arrest and takes up an important role as ‘adviser’ to UMNO, MIC cannot expect anything big from UMNO or the unity government.
Presently, UMNO leaders are themselves in a precarious position and unable to help their disabled sibling MIC.
Indians have not given up total hope on MIC and in the party’s present predicament many feel sympathetic rather than angry at this one-time ‘arrogant’ party that claimed to be the sole representative of all Indians in the country.
Another way the MIC can regain its relevance and support is to be part of the Third Force. All Indian political parties and NGOs and other groups should unite as part of a multi-racial Third Force.
All Peninsular and East Malaysians who feel that the country need to be competently and equitably managed should support this group in the next general election.
This Third Force could be the decider in a hung parliament. Even though it may not win enough seats to form the government it can, however, do reasonably well in the muti-racial and urban constituencies in Selangor, Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
The mood of the people has drastically changed, considering the present socio-economic despair and difficulties especially in the urban constituencies and the Third Force should take advantage of this electoral opening.
The millions of Indian and Chinese voters and urban Malays, who were hoodwinked on the promise of reforms and who previously voted for Pakatan Harapan, can be the deciders in the swing constituencies.
It will no more be the choosing of the lesser of the two evils but standing up against the devils of disunity, divisions and discrimination in the country.
It is still not the swan song yet for MIC which needs to re-brand itself and be envisioned and empowered to harness the new changes and challenges unfolding in the country.
What is urgently needed now is for MIC or leaders like Prof P. Ramasamy and others to bring all Indian representatives together in a meeting or conference that will lay the foundation for a Third Force.
It must be done urgently to ensure that it gains momentum and influence before the next election, which is about two years away.
Indians need to be reminded that they are still in a powerful, not pitiable, position in the country! Indians will have to take the lead.
With Indians fully supportive of the Third Force this group will gain traction and win the confidence of other communities who want to end the discrimination, corruption, abuse of power and other negative values that have become deeply entrenched in the administration of the country.
V. Thomas is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 
- Focus Malaysia.

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