Stumping for Perikatan in KKB, new ethnic Indian component party says aiming to overhaul community’s future by 2057

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) is the federal Opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition’s latest component, committing its support ahead of the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election recently.

The ethnic Indian party told Malay Mail of its big dreams – to elevate the prospects for its core community by 2057, which will also mark the 100th year since independence from colonial British rule.

Its president P. Punithan, who is also the deputy chairman of the PN coalition, said he fervently believes MIPP’s ambition, born from frustrations and disenchantment with the current government and past ruling coalitions, can be achieved in the next 33 years.

This, the 39-year-old Punithan said, will become the manifesto for PN in the next general election to attract support from the Indian community in the next elections.

“I left MIC after 15 years of service and I joined PN last year, end of June, and in July, I made my decision to join PN.

“I've made quite a lot of considerations. I don't see... probably I am the first one to realise that Pakatan Harapan would not deliver to the Indian community, which now has translated into anger from the community towards the Unity Government.

“This unity government is not going to deliver for the Indian community because they don't understand the aspiration of the Indian community,” Punithan told Malay Mail in a recent interview, referring to the current Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional alliance, in which MIC is a component.

Malaysian Indian People's Party President (MIPP) SP Punithan speaks at the announcement of PN's candidacy for the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election at the PN operations centre in Batang Kali April 25, 2024. — Picture by Hari Anggara.

He said his choice to begin anew entailed relinquishing a promising future in the MIC, adding that it was a sacrifice he made to prioritise long-term benefits over immediate rewards.

For decades, MIC stood as the solitary political voice championing the interests of the Indian community in Malaysia.

Since independence in 1957, there have been many ethnic Indian race-based parties that rose only to fall silent after a while; among them the Indian Progressive Front, the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma), Parti Makkal Sakti Malaysia, Parti Bersatu India Malaysia, the Human Rights Party borne from the out of the Hindu Rights Action Force known as Hindraf and now rebranded as the Malaysian Advancement Party.

The very latest is the United for the Rights of Malaysians Party (Urimai) founded by academic P. Ramasamy who was a former longtime DAP leader as well as a Penang deputy chief minister.

“Whether or not I can deliver my vision for the community with MIC was a very highly questionable matter, because I don't see the progress of MIC, gaining support from the Malaysian Indian community,” Punithan said.

He claimed a trust deficit among Indian Malaysians as the reason behind MIC’s erosion of support.

“It's not about being where you are. It is who can drive the vision forward,” he said.

The former MIC Selangor Youth chief said that while PN currently lacks a focused approach to the ethnic Indian agenda, this can be seen positively as presenting an opening for fresh perspectives and solutions to tackle the challenges confronting Malaysia’s Indian community.

Punithan’s remarks appear to be supported by political analyst Bridget Welsh’s research findings about PH’s ebb in Indian voter support, which was published in the news portal Malaysiakini.

According to Welsh, Indian voter support for PH decreased by 21 per cent, 19 per cent and 12 per cent in Negri Sembilan, Penang, and Selangor, respectively, during last year’s six-state polls.

Conversely, she found that Indian support for PN in Penang, Negeri Sembilan, and Selangor saw significant increases of 29 per cent, 19 per cent, and 14 per cent, respectively.

“I'm starting from scratch and when you are starting from scratch, of course people would want to see what I am championing, my direction, the vision for the community and others. We are coming out with fresh ideas.

“So of course I am not fighting with any Indian political party, and I am not interested in fighting with any Indian political party. If you read my recent statement, I want to unite all the Indian political parties. Whoever wants to work together with us, we are open,” Punithan replied when asked about MIPP's relevance against a backdrop of several similar ethnic Indian political parties, representing the minority segment of the country.

He said that the Kuala Kubu Baru by-election set for May 11 will be the first litmus test to gauge the acceptance of the Indian community in the area towards MIPP.

“So I can daringly say to the Indians out there. We need two things. That is the baseline. We need two things. One, we need a new economic development agenda for the Indian community alone. That is what we are spearheading.

“To me, if you cannot alleviate a community within 100 years since independence, every leader is a failure. By 2057, I want to see the community change and thrive. We have another 33 years to go to reach 100 years and I want to put this plan on the table and implement it, so that in the next 30 years, we can focus on elevating the Indian community. Clear elevation,” Punithan added.

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (centre) is seen with other party leaders during the Ceramah Umum Perikatan Nasional at Kuala Kubu Baharu April 30, 2024. — Picture by Hari Anggara.

MIPP’s transformation plans

He said this is after the perceived failure of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) launched by then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2017, which had purportedly fallen short in addressing fundamental issues like basic needs, livelihoods, and education, which remain contentious and unresolved within the community.

He said the issue also stems from leaders tasked with implementing the blueprint's plans being more focused on personal legacies and individual agendas rather than the collective welfare of the community.

Punithan claimed that none of the initiatives outlined in the MIB yielded tangible, measurable outcomes, leaving the Indian community in a state of uncertainty and stagnation.

“Ours will be an economic agenda that is documented, and I have spoken to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and have gotten his endorsement to take the lead of this Indian economic agenda with PN, so that this economic agenda will become a manifesto of PN's in the 16th General Election,” Punithan said, referring to PN chairman and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president.

“This document will be the manifesto and when we come to the government, we will just implement it,” he added.

Punithan said that the plan also includes raising the matriculation enrollment quota for Indian students.

“The routes for the Indian students are very limited. It is only STPM or matriculation. If you shut either door, the intake will drop and that will directly impact the community where the students will not be able to pursue tertiary education. It will directly affect the community, because every seat is a hope for a family,” he added.

The annual student intake for the matriculation programme is 25,000, of which 2,500 seats are allocated for non-Bumiputera students.

The allocation of quota in the matriculation education system has remained a contentious matter.

In 2019, then-education minister Maszlee Malik replied that the quota system should not be seen in isolation when asked about the 90 per cent set aside for Bumiputera students in the university matriculation programme during a forum with Universiti Sains Malaysia undergraduates.

He added that there were Bumiputera who were denied jobs because they did not know how to speak Mandarin, which renewed debate on the issue of matriculation quotas.

DAP Youth suggested a temporary solution to the matter, such as addressing the significant status quo imbalance in matriculation exams, the review of matriculation and Form Six STPM co-curricular activities, automatic Cumulative Grade Points Average insertion for STPM students, and combining the examination, syllabus and grading systems for STPM and matriculation by 2020.