BARISAN Nasional (BN) component party MIC has affirmed it will support Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates in the state elections amid ongoing seat negotiations.

MIC secretary-general R.T. Rajasekaran, however, said he also expects the same from their counterparts.

“MIC is now part of the unity government under BN.

“We will continue to support this government. We will cooperate as we have promised to do so.

“We expect the same cooperation from members of PH in places we contest,” Rajasekaran told The Malaysian Insight.

DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke had earlier said PH will help BN campaign in the  state elections.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was also confident parties within the unity government will get the support of voters in the  state polls.

Rajasekaran, who is also a BN supreme council member, said seat negotiations are still ongoing and nothing is finalised yet.

“We have yet to conclude discussions at the state level,” he said.

Rajasekaran also brushed aside claims MIC has put forward demands for seats in the elections.

It was reported that MIC was eyeing the Perai and Seri Delima seats in Penang.

Sources had said MIC was keen on Perai because the state constituency has been a traditional stronghold. Leaders such as Rajapathy Kuppusamy and the late V. Muthusamy served the Indian community there for four terms from 1991 until 2008.

DAP’s P. Ramasamy has been the Perai assemblyman since 2008, while Syerleena Abdul Rashid is coming to the end of her first term representing Seri Delima.

“It is not as if MIC is putting forward our seat demands. We are actually discussing en-bloc with PH.

“We have to be practical (about incumbent seats). Some seats were already won by PH previously.

“I’m sure our president and deputy president will see and decide what is best for the party,” Rajasekaran said.

Six states – Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu – must have their respective state elections by September this year.

They did not dissolve their state assemblies to hold state polls in conjunction with the November general election.

In the 2018 general election, MIC contested three state seats in Selangor, Negri Sembilan (2), Penang (2) and Kedah (2) – winning only the Jeram Padang seat in Negri Sembilan.

Rajasekaran said the party’s divisions in each of the states are working hard for the polls. – May 31, 2023.