MIC won’t be made a scapegoat, says Vigneswaran

SHAH ALAM: MIC should never let itself be a convenient scapegoat, says party president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran.

Vigneswaran said a lot of the progress the nation has achieved was during the tenure of the Barisan Nasional government.

“What we can see with our own eyes was provided for, worked for and planned under Barisan.

“Specifically for Indians – whatever benefits the community received were through MIC and our Friends of Barisan Nasional,” he said in his speech at the MIC annual general meeting here on Sunday (Sept 15).

“We cannot allow ourselves to be a convenient scapegoat. It is enough,” he said, adding that previous critics of the Barisan administration now realise what it takes to be in the government.

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However, he said MIC would continue to work with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his unity government to see out its term.

“We will give him support for five years and after that we get (Barisan chairman) Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to negotiate again,” he said.

Vigneswaran also said the MIC will continue to be a conduit to link Malaysia’s and India’s economic cooperation.

“Since Malaysia and India have a shared history, we should look forward to a shared future.

“While preparing ourselves for the future, we should strengthen our existing cooperation,” he added.

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Vigneswaran said Prime Minister Datuk Ser Anwar Ibrahim understood the importance of having good ties with India.

“I am glad to be working alongside him and the Foreign Minister (Dato Seri Mohamad Hasan) in further strengthening our bilateral relationship,” said Vigneswaran.

He added Malaysia was one of India’s key partners in Asia, with the Indian diaspora being one of the binding factors.

“The presence of a very large Indian-origin community in Malaysia and MIC’s significant participation in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (annual event to commemorate the global Indian diaspora) serves to bring the two countries even closer,” he added.

According to Vigneswaran the MIC was committed to strengthening the economic diplomacy between Malaysia and India.

He said this was to ensure that Malaysia benefited from India’s economic growth which is expected to rise from being the world’s fifth largest economy to second place by 2031.