FORMER Sabah MIC leaders today announced the formation of Parti Bersatu India Sabah.

The leader of the party that envisions itself as MIC’s replacement in Sabah, V. Jothi, said the registration submitted to Registrar of Societies in August.

“The new party will work with and support the Pakatan Harapan federal government and the Warisan-led Sabah government,” he said in Kota Kinabalu today.  

Jothi announced Sabah MIC’s dissolution last week.

MIC was not given any seats to the contest in the 14^th general election, which saw Barisan Nasional being defeated at the federal and state level.

Jothi, who was Sabah MIC chairman for 22 years, resigned from the party in July last year.

“The documentation for our registration is now in the final stages with RoS and we are now waiting for the approval,” he said.

He said the need to form the new party was to assist the Sabah Indian communities who are faced with many struggles such as land for its temples.

“We have around 10,000 to 12,000 Indian population in Sabah.

“I think the struggles of the Indian communities are real and therefore a political representation for them is very much needed,” he said.

When asked about some former indian leaders opposing the idea of forming another Indian party in sabah, he said “it is their democratic right to say what is in their minds and we are only interested in helping the Indian communities.”

Recently, a former Sabah MIC secretary Ron Ganasegaran said the plan by the former Sabah MIC leaders to form a new race-based party is a plan to enrich themselves.

Ganasegaran said there was no need to form the Indian party as most Indians in Sabah are doing well economically, adding that the Indians can join any multi-racial parties like Parti Warisan Sabah or PKR if they still want to be involved in politics. – January 6, 2019.