Anything can change: MIC chief wavers on contesting Sungai Siput
Initially, he said he will be vying for Sungai Siput in Perak, as previously reported.
When asked recently if this has been confirmed, however, he said...
MIC president S Vigneswaran has suggested that he may be contesting a seat closer to the Klang Valley instead of his party’s former stronghold of Sungai Siput.
Initially, he said he will be vying for Sungai Siput in Perak, as previously reported.
When asked recently if this has been confirmed, however, he said, “Got to wait for announcement. Anything can change. Maybe somewhere nearer,” he said.
Vigneswaran (above), who has served as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to South Asia, was asked to clarify if he meant a constituency nearer to Sungai Siput or the Klang Valley.
He replied, “Both.”
For the record, former MIC president the late S Samy Vellu served as Sungai Siput MP for eight terms from September 1974, until he lost to PSM’s Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj in March 2008.
Historically, the seat was first won by MIC’s first president VT Sambanthan in the country’s 1959 general election.
The current incumbent Sungai Siput MP is PKR’s S Kesavan, who beat MIC’s SK Devamany in 2018.
On the possibility of a multi-cornered fight between Harapan, PSM, and MIC, Vigneswaran said the voters of Sungai Siput would know the track record of each party best.
“It’s a democratic process, anyone can contest. May the right candidate be elected by the people of Sg Siput.
After 15 years of (a PKR MP) in Sg Siput, the people know what they have done compared to before that,” he said, referring to MIC’s hold over the seat in the years prior to 2008.
When asked if MIC has a good chance at reclaiming the seat, he told Malaysiakini the party would not have contested back in 2008 if it felt like it did not have a chance.
“If they think no chance, they wouldn’t contest in 2008, so now, of course, I think there is a chance,” he said.
MIC is reportedly gunning to contest nine parliamentary and 18 state seats in the upcoming 15th general election.
The party currently only has one parliamentary seat - Tapah, which is held by MIC deputy president M Saravanan.
