At annual general assembly, MIC weighs BN exit as Vigneswaran says party no longer respected as ‘sibling’
File photo of MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran speaking at a recent event. He reportedly urged members to rethink MIC’s future in Barisan Nasional at the party’s annual general assembly in Shah Alam today. — Picture via Facebook/MICMalaysia
Sunday, 16 Nov 2025 12:13 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran has urged party members to openly discuss and decide whether the party should withdraw from Barisan Nasional (BN) at its annual general assembly, signalling the most serious rethink of MIC’s place in the coalition in decades.
According to Sinar Harian, Vigneswaran said the party must confront the reality that it is no longer respected within BN, whether as a “sibling” party or a genuine partner.
He reportedly made these remarks during the party’s annual meeting in Shah Alam today.
Vigneswaran also argued that for MIC to rise again with dignity, it must renew its struggle starting with the youth.
“Why have others left BN, yet we are still with them? And in our hearts, can MIC truly bring BN forward when the coalition today no longer reflects what it originally was?
“Not a coalition in name, but a coalition based on purpose, trust and genuine cooperation that built this nation.
“If this is destiny, then we are not running away from history but returning to it. The MIC story today is not an ending, but a beginning,” he said, as reported by the national daily.
Vigneswaran’s remarks come amid growing frustration among MIC grassroots members, some of whom told The Star they feel the party has been “ignored and sidelined” by Umno since the formation of the unity government.
“Umno has forgotten how we worked very hard for Barisan for decades. We are supposed to be one big family, but instead we have been discarded and pushed aside,” one grassroots leader was quoted as saying.
A senior MIC leader also told The Star that delegates are likely to leave the final decision to Vigneswaran, noting that several factors must be considered before any move is made.
He said MIC currently holds:three state seats;
- one state exco position;
- 35 local councillor posts;
- several village headmen positions; and
- a special officer’s post to the Johor mentri besar.
The party also has an exco member and special officer in Melaka, as well as local councillors in Perak.
Leaving BN, he said, would likely jeopardise these roles and risk leaving displaced officeholders “disgruntled”.
Last month, former Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman claimed in a TikTok video that MIC had already decided to leave BN.
He alleged that MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan shared this privately during Deepavali celebrations at his home in October.
BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has since reiterated that the coalition has never forced any component party to stay or leave, stressing that each party has the right to decide its own political direction.
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