Urimai and the struggle for Indian political representation in Malaysia

Murray Hunter


Urimai and the struggle for Indian political representation in Malaysia

P Ramasamy
Mar 01, 2025

Hypocrisy of the Madani government

The Madani government, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim under the PH-BN coalition, has continuously preached reform while maintaining the status quo.

Nowhere is this contradiction clearer than in its outright refusal to register Urimai, or the United Rights of the Malaysian Party, which seeks to provide much-needed political representation for the marginalised Indian community.

The birth of Urimai: A response to political betrayal

Urimai was formed in response to widespread frustration among the Indian community, who feel abandoned by the PH coalition parties, particularly DAP and PKR.

While these parties claim to be multiracial, in practice, DAP mirrors the Chinese-centric MCA, while PKR increasingly resembles UMNO and other Malay-centric parties.

The MIC, which ostensibly represents Indians within BN, has lost its grassroots support and is now politically irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Indian representatives in DAP and PKR are often seen as mere symbolic figures, failing to champion the real needs of their community.

The Hindraf movement has even labelled them as “mandors”—leaders beholden to their Chinese and Malay superiors, lacking the autonomy to fight for Indian rights.

Urimai: A new hope for Indian representation

The absence of a credible voice for the Indian community justified the formation of Urimai on November 27, 2023—an auspicious day in the Tamil global calendar.

Since its inception, Urimai has rapidly established state committees and actively tackled pressing socio-economic issues, from housing to the lack of Hindu burial grounds.

In recent by-elections, Urimai successfully rallied Indian voters against the PH-led coalition, significantly reducing Indian support for the government and contributing to the coalition’s defeat in the Sungai Bakap by-election in Penang.

This growing traction within the Indian community has alarmed the ruling government.

Government’s reluctance to recognise Urimai

Rather than embracing democratic principles, the government has been dragging its feet in registering Urimai.

Faced with this obstruction, Urimai had no choice but to seek a judicial review to expedite its registration.

On February 27, 2025, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted Urimai leave to challenge the government’s refusal to register the party.

This legal victory underscores the fundamental issue at hand: a government that fails to uphold the constitutional right to freedom of association is unfit to govern.

A test for democracy

Urimai’s struggle is more than just a fight for registration—it is a test of Malaysia’s democratic integrity.

Will the government uphold its own constitutional principles, or will it continue suppressing legitimate political representation for the Indian community?

The coming months will determine whether true reform is possible or if the Madani administration is merely paying lip service to democracy.



P. Ramasamy

Former professor of political economy at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and former deputy chief minister of Penang.