Poor Kissy-Hand Nathan

Four days ago, MM Online reported:

MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam has reiterated his stand to defend the Segamat parliamentary seat for a fourth term despite admitting to the tough challenges in the 14th General Election (GE14).

In spite of having the option to choose a safer seat to contest in, he chose to remain in the seat in order to continue the development of the area.

“I will not leave the area (Segamat) simply for an easy victory elsewhere because I have a great responsibility to the people here,” he told reporters.

But alas, Segamat is now iffy for BN.

Jimmy Chua Jui Meng 

where art thou

On the Pakatan side, the Segamat seat "belongs" to PKR whose candidate in the 2013 election was poor Jimmy Chua Jui Meng (a born-again PKR hero who was an ex MCA man) who despite much promise lost to Dr Subra by 1217 votes and has now vanished completely from the scene. If I am not mistaken Jimmy wanted to stand in Gelang Patah but you-know-who beat him to the tape, with a wee help from Anwar Ibrahim.

But since then, PKR's likely candidate for 2018, Edmund Santhara, looks pretty good in Segamat where he has been working the grounds for 3 years, unlike poor Dr Boo who was never given any indication he might be standing in Labis in 2018 or he would have emulated Edmund Santhara's work in Labis - Oh, I forgot, Labis was originally meant for the DAP biggies who have declined that place, and Dr Boo as a DAP 'outer' (someone not in the DAP inner coterie) was only a last minute substitute.

Segamat ethnic mix of 47,000 voters comprises 46% Chinese, 44% Malays and 10% Indians, which rather surprised me in 2013 when Jimmy Chua lost to Dr Subra by 1217 votes even in the so-called Pakatan Rakyat tsunami. I did wonder whether Jimmy's credentials as an ex-MCA man didn't endear him to the Chinese in Segamat. 

Edmund Santhara 

Anyway, I heard Dr Subra is now moving to Hulu Selangor, kicking Kissy-Hand P Kamalanathan out of that constituency. Kamalanathan won Hulu Selangor in 2013 and is a favourite of Muhyiddin - ooops, I forgot again, that Moody has since moved over to Pribumi.

Poor Kamalanathan appears to be out of favour in MIC for untold 'sins' and when he needs his UMNO Godfather most, that bloke is over in Pribumi. Sheeesh.

Kamalanathan 

I wonder whether poor Kissy-Hand Kamalanathan will be given a chance in Segamat? Poor Nathan, but either way, he is a goner UNLESS the MIC gives him a chance somewhere.

But currently, MIC is in a bit of disarray with news that its Tapah and Cameron seats, apart from Segamat may not be so safe. I read somewhere that MIC may shift Saravanan (MP for Tapah) to Sungai Siput to contest Dr Jeya. Another name for Sungai Siput is Vell Paari, son of Samy Vellu.

In a 3-corner fight (assuming the DAP stands there as it has warned Dr Jeya for his PSM to stay out of DAP's other seats) the MIC may stand a slim chance.

Vell Paari