MIC at a crossroads: CWC to decide on March 25 between decades-long BN ties and 6 year old PN

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) is set for a high-stakes Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on March 25, where the party is expected to finalise its political future. After 60 years of navigating Malaysia’s political landscape alongside Barisan Nasional (BN), the party must now decide whether to officially jump ship to the six-year-old Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.

The meeting follows conflicting signals from both camps. While PN Secretary-General Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan recently claimed MIC’s application to join the coalition had been accepted, MIC Deputy President Datuk Seri M. Saravanan maintains that no formal application was ever submitted. Months earlier, there were reports that the party had merely sent an “enquiry” regarding the terms and conditions of a potential partnership.

Internal turmoil within Bersatu, a cornerstone of PN, has cast doubt on whether MIC will follow through on its plan to join PN. Furthermore, the upcoming state assembly elections in Melaka (December 2026) and Johor (early 2027) weigh heavily on the decision.

Another consideration for MIC President and CWC members would be the Melaka and Johor state assembly elections, scheduled for December 2026 and early 2027, respectively.

Anwar Ibrahim’s tenure as PM is valid until November 2027, when the current parliamentary term ends. If he decides not to hold Parliament and State assembly elections simultaneously, as demanded by Anthony Loke, the Secretary-General of DAP, then the Melaka and Johor elections will take place first. If MIC decides to leave BN now, it is likely to lose its state EXCO representation in both states.

As a coalition member of PN, MIC must not only retain Gadek, its sole state assembly seat in Melaka, but also ensure PN wins the Melaka state elections to form the next government; failing which, MIC will lose the Melaka EXCO seat should the BN-PH combination win the state elections.

Going over to Johor, MIC faces similar challenges. In the 2021 elections, MIC was allotted 4 state seats, of which it won 3. Altogether, BN won 40 seats, thereby forming the state government, without any support from other coalitions. BN Johor has already announced that, should there be a seat-sharing arrangement with Pakatan, BN would demand that it contest all 40 seats it won, including the 3 seats currently held by MIC.

Furthermore, MIC also holds an EXCO position in Johor, held by Raven Kumar Krishnasamy, the state assemblyman for Tenggaroh.

If MIC were to leave BN now, it would lose the EXCO seat in Johor. Furthermore, the party must obtain 3 or more seats from PN, and if PN fails to form the state government in the next elections, MIC stands to lose its EXCO position, which it has held for many years.

Given such an unpredictable scenario ahead, it is doubtful whether MIC’s CWC will abide by the resolution passed by the MIC General Assembly to leave BN. The decision on whether to leave BN will most likely be deferred to another date, according to MIC sources.