MIC president S A Vigneswaran has not ruled out the possibility of the party working with Perikatan Nasional (PN), but stressed it is still too early to make any firm decision.
He likened PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s invitation to a “pre-engagement stage”, saying MIC will study the matter carefully before committing.
“Maybe. It’s like a stage before engagement. This is not a small matter and I don’t want to comment further until we study it properly. A decision will be made soon,” he told reporters at the Perak MIC Women Veterans Reunion at the Tun Samy Vellu Convention Centre yesterday.
Vigneswaran emphasised that MIC’s ties with PAS and Bersatu were not like the old enmity between UMNO and DAP.
“MIC has worked with PAS and Bersatu leaders before without issues. The situation is different from UMNO and DAP, who were once bitter enemies but eventually sat at the same table.”
On September 12, Tuan Ibrahim said several parties had expressed interest in joining PN but declined to name them, including whether they were from Barisan Nasional. He added that some wanted to be full members while others preferred to be allies, and the matter will be discussed at the next PN Supreme Council meeting.
He also welcomed NGOs to be part of PN’s struggle.
Asked about his recent meeting with MIC leaders and former prime minister Najib Razak, Vigneswaran clarified it was merely a courtesy call.
“Najib is a highly respected leader among the Indian community and MIC. The meeting was to pay respect to him, not about MIC leaving BN. If there were BN matters, I would discuss with Zahid Hamidi, not Najib,” he said.
