MIC’s relevance is over – time to admit failure and step aside

Murray Hunter


MIC’s relevance is over – time to admit failure and step aside

P Ramasamy
Apr 14, 2025





It is about time that MIC leaders, including its deputy president M. Saravanan, come to the realisation that the party is now a spent force among the Indian community in Malaysia.

When the MIC attempts to speak on behalf of Indians today, it is less about genuine representation and more a reflection of the personal opinions of its leaders.

MIC must confront the truth: its days of effectively representing the Indian community are over.

Despite this, leaders like Saravanan continue to issue statements in an attempt to stay relevant. A recent example is his response to the forced relocation of the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Hindu temple.

MIC leaders are fully aware of the emotional and cultural blow this move has dealt to the Hindu community, yet they pretend it will not impact Indian support for the government.

Saravanan is able to make such statements because he, along with Indian leaders from DAP and PKR, was complicit in the unjust and unfair relocation of the temple.

He may voice his dissatisfaction with the Madani government privately, but publicly he maintains the illusion of loyalty to UMNO and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

This is the reason he downplayed the political fallout of the temple’s relocation, suggesting it would not affect Indian voter support for UMNO.

Saravanan should not play this duplicitous game—appealing to the Indian community on one hand while serving UMNO and the PH-led coalition on the other.

This two-faced approach only confirms that he has lost touch with the community’s sentiment.

The truth is, the Indian community has lost faith and trust in the MIC. The party is a relic of Malaysia’s political past, and it no longer holds relevance or credibility.

Urimai, through a vigorous grassroots campaign, will ensure that Indian voters reject UMNO and instead channel their support towards the opposition—particularly the PSM and the PN opposition coalition. We will make it clear that Indian leaders from MIC, DAP, and PKR colluded with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in relocating the temple in Kuala Lumpur.

It is also worth remembering that MIC, despite its presence in the Ministry of Federal Territories in earlier years, failed to secure land ownership for the temple—a failure that led directly to this current crisis.

Indians across the country now understand that MIC has outlived its usefulness. The party should stop pretending otherwise and admit that it has failed the very community it seeks to represent.

P. Ramasamy

Chairman, Urimai

April 14, 2025