Roumers from Bukit Gantang Indian voters are backing BN again

Indian voters in Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang are “coming back” to Barisan Nasional, claims MIC secretary-general Datuk S. Subramaniam.
This was based on feedback from visits to In-dian areas in the two constituencies over the past two weeks, he told reporters after visiting the MIC operations centre here late on Thurs-day.
Dr Subramaniam, who is also the Human Resources Minister, said such a scenario was not so evident during the last general election, when the MIC lost six of its nine parliamentary and 12 of its 19 state seats.
“We see a change in their attitude because they know only the MIC can assist them during good and bad times,” he said.
He said that in Bukit Gantang where Indians accounted for almost 10% of the electorate, problems such as the lack of good infrastructure in Tamil schools were resolved long before the by-elections were called.
“We don’t embark on problem-solving only when there are elections, we have been doing this all the while,” he said.
In Kuala Lumpur, MIC Youth political bureau head V. Mugilan said the wing had started mobilising its members to campaign for the Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang by-elections.
He added that Barisan candidates had a better chance of winning compared with the last general election.
“People now realise they were taken in by sweet promises that were not fulfilled, after a year of Pakatan Rakyat rule in the two states (Kedah and Perak),” he told a press conference at the MIC headquarters yesterday.