Murray Hunter
Why Indians must reject PH-Umno in Ayer Kuning by-election
P Ramasamy
Apr 08, 2025
The “forced” relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Patharakaliamman Hindu temple in the heart of Kuala Lumpur late last month, coupled with the recent gas pipeline fire, may have diverted public attention from the impending Ayer Kuning by-election in Perak.
Scheduled for April 26, with nominations set for April 12, the by-election is expected to be a tightly contested battle between the PH-led coalition’s Umno candidate and the opposition nominee from PAS or Perikatan Nasional (PN).
In the last general election, Umno secured the seat with just over 2,000 votes—hardly a commanding lead. While Umno may enter the race as the favorite, a comfortable victory is far from guaranteed.
Despite shifting political alliances, there are no strong indications that the Malay electorate has abandoned the opposition en masse.
Umno, predictably, will rely on its familiar tactics to win back Malay support, all while hoping that non-Malay parties—despite strained relations—will come to its aid.
MCA and DAP are expected to attempt, perhaps half-heartedly, to rally the 22% Chinese electorate behind the PH-Umno coalition.
Yet, the rapport between Umno and DAP remains superficial at best, as evidenced by awkward public displays of unity that fail to mask deep-seated mistrust.
MCA, for its part, remains largely weak in the Chinese political sphere. In recent by-elections such as Sungai Bakap and Mahkota, Chinese voters, independent of party lines, expressed their political maturity through reduced turnout—contributing to PN victories.
The offensive rhetoric of figures like Dr. Akmal Saleh has only further alienated non-Malay voters, particularly the Chinese.
Umno’s failure—or refusal—to rein him in speaks volumes about the party’s direction.
In Ayer Kuning, Indian voters make up about 14% of the electorate. Although this is a semi-rural constituency with dispersed Indian communities, patronage networks still bind many to MIC leadership.
MIC Deputy President M. Saravanan, the MP for Tapah—under which Ayer Kuning falls—will likely campaign aggressively for the Umno candidate.
Despite his outward appearance as a champion of Indian concerns, Saravanan remains closely aligned with both Umno and the Madani government.
Unlike MCA, MIC appears wholly beholden to Umno, regardless of its repeated marginalization.
The recent temple relocation in Kuala Lumpur is a glaring example of MIC’s complicity. Reports suggest that MIC played a central role in facilitating the temple’s displacement to make way for a mosque that has yet to be constructed. This act, backed by the government and endorsed by its Indian representatives, was a profound insult to the Indian community—an affront carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar’s administration has repeatedly humiliated the Indian community: from presiding over religious conversions, denying Indians full ministerial representation, to perpetuating systemic discrimination in civil service recruitment, public university admissions, and matriculation programmes.
March 27, 2025—the day the Dewi Sri Patharakaliamman temple was officially uprooted—marks a black day in the history of Malaysia’s Indian community.
It mirrors another dark episode from March 27, 1998, when a temple in Penang faced a similar fate. But never before has the Indian community faced such orchestrated humiliation under the guise of progress and religious harmony.
Enough is enough.
Indians with dignity, pride, and self-respect must take a stand in the Ayer Kuning by-election.
The PH-led coalition and Umno have lost the moral right to seek Indian votes. A resounding rejection is the only fitting response to this continued marginalization and and insult.
By P. Ramasamy
Chairman, Urimai
April 7, 2025
Apr 08, 2025
The “forced” relocation of the 130-year-old Dewi Sri Patharakaliamman Hindu temple in the heart of Kuala Lumpur late last month, coupled with the recent gas pipeline fire, may have diverted public attention from the impending Ayer Kuning by-election in Perak.
Scheduled for April 26, with nominations set for April 12, the by-election is expected to be a tightly contested battle between the PH-led coalition’s Umno candidate and the opposition nominee from PAS or Perikatan Nasional (PN).
In the last general election, Umno secured the seat with just over 2,000 votes—hardly a commanding lead. While Umno may enter the race as the favorite, a comfortable victory is far from guaranteed.
Despite shifting political alliances, there are no strong indications that the Malay electorate has abandoned the opposition en masse.
Umno, predictably, will rely on its familiar tactics to win back Malay support, all while hoping that non-Malay parties—despite strained relations—will come to its aid.
MCA and DAP are expected to attempt, perhaps half-heartedly, to rally the 22% Chinese electorate behind the PH-Umno coalition.
Yet, the rapport between Umno and DAP remains superficial at best, as evidenced by awkward public displays of unity that fail to mask deep-seated mistrust.
MCA, for its part, remains largely weak in the Chinese political sphere. In recent by-elections such as Sungai Bakap and Mahkota, Chinese voters, independent of party lines, expressed their political maturity through reduced turnout—contributing to PN victories.
The offensive rhetoric of figures like Dr. Akmal Saleh has only further alienated non-Malay voters, particularly the Chinese.
Umno’s failure—or refusal—to rein him in speaks volumes about the party’s direction.
In Ayer Kuning, Indian voters make up about 14% of the electorate. Although this is a semi-rural constituency with dispersed Indian communities, patronage networks still bind many to MIC leadership.
MIC Deputy President M. Saravanan, the MP for Tapah—under which Ayer Kuning falls—will likely campaign aggressively for the Umno candidate.
Despite his outward appearance as a champion of Indian concerns, Saravanan remains closely aligned with both Umno and the Madani government.
Unlike MCA, MIC appears wholly beholden to Umno, regardless of its repeated marginalization.
The recent temple relocation in Kuala Lumpur is a glaring example of MIC’s complicity. Reports suggest that MIC played a central role in facilitating the temple’s displacement to make way for a mosque that has yet to be constructed. This act, backed by the government and endorsed by its Indian representatives, was a profound insult to the Indian community—an affront carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar’s administration has repeatedly humiliated the Indian community: from presiding over religious conversions, denying Indians full ministerial representation, to perpetuating systemic discrimination in civil service recruitment, public university admissions, and matriculation programmes.
March 27, 2025—the day the Dewi Sri Patharakaliamman temple was officially uprooted—marks a black day in the history of Malaysia’s Indian community.
It mirrors another dark episode from March 27, 1998, when a temple in Penang faced a similar fate. But never before has the Indian community faced such orchestrated humiliation under the guise of progress and religious harmony.
Enough is enough.
Indians with dignity, pride, and self-respect must take a stand in the Ayer Kuning by-election.
The PH-led coalition and Umno have lost the moral right to seek Indian votes. A resounding rejection is the only fitting response to this continued marginalization and and insult.
By P. Ramasamy
Chairman, Urimai
April 7, 2025
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