MIC and MCA in lose-lose situation

FMT:

MIC and MCA in lose-lose situation


Perhaps it’s time for these two parties to cut loose, if only to put them out of their misery

From Jeffri Saling

In our complicated political scene, it’s hard to find anything more pathetic than MCA and MIC scrambling around for their lost perks.


Former minister M Saravanan, who is desperately trying to regain his old post, was not wrong when he said that MIC is an unwanted guest.

Why should they be held in such high esteem when MIC claims to represent the Indians yet has been substantially overtaken by PKR and DAP, both of whom have at least five Indian MPs?


In fact MCA and MIC’s fate was sealed when Umno brought Barisan Nasional into the Madani government. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim needed Umno to form the government, while the two parties were just excess baggage.

Hence while Umno is at the helm of four states — Pahang, Johor, Perak and Melaka — and enjoys ministerial posts, MIC and MCA cannot even get the crumbs that were thrown at them in the past.

Threatening to pull out of BN is really a shallow threat for these two parties which cannot win any seats without the help of senior partners.

They have only to look at the toothless position of Gerakan to see what is in store for them if they try to team up with the PN coalition. If anything, their position would be even more undignified.


Followers of vernacular media will know that both Saravanan, the MIC deputy president, and MCA president Wee Ka Siong play a double game of supporting the Madani administration when speaking in BM or English, and then going on the offensive when playing to their own gallery.

Perhaps it’s time for these “mosquito parties” to cut loose, if only to put them out of their misery.



Jeffri Saling is an FMT reader.