The MIC top leaders seemed to have gone into hiding or appointed the UMNO Supreme Council member, Tan Sri Noh Omar, to be the MIC spokesman to respond to questions directed at MIC leaders.
History of sorts had been made as this is the first time that the MIC national leadership has to appoint an UMNO leader to be its spokesman.
My question yesterday was – Who will decide who will contest the Cameron Highlands by-election on behalf of Barisan Nasional? Barisan Nasional, UMNO, MIC or PAS?
But Noh has also demanded that MIC give way to UMNO to field the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Cameron Highlands by-election.
It has been reported that the latest development about the BN candidature for Cameron Highlands by-election had come as a shock to the top MIC leaders as most MIC divisions had sent people to assist in Cameron Highlands.
In the last three days, many MIC people, including the designated MIC candidate, had packed up in Cameron Highlands and returned home.
It has been reported that the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council would meet on Thursday, 10th January, to decide on the issue of BN candidate in Cameron Highlands as the BN Supreme Council meeting scheduled yesterday for the same purpose had been aborted.
An interesting question is what is the stand of the MCA in the BN Supreme Council that the MIC candidate for Cameron Highlands by-election should be dropped in favour of an UMNO candidate?
After the Barisan Nasional electoral disaster in the 14th General Election, there was an exodus of component parties from the 13-member Barisan Nasional, which is now left with three political parties – UMNO, MCA and MIC.
If MCA supports MIC that the BN candidate for Cameron Highlands by-election should remain a candidate from MIC, then UMNO would be out-voted in a 2-1 result in the BN Supreme Council.
But dare MCA side with MIC against UMNO? Does UMNO exercise a secret veto power in the BN Supreme Council?
If we go by Noh Omar’s logic, then UMNO will next demand to take back the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat from MCA, and Wee Ka Siong would have no parliamentary seat to go to.
But dare Wee Ka Siong defend MIC’s right to field the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Cameron Highlands by-election?
We will know soon enough.
(Media Statement (2) by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 7th January 2018)