The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has officially been accepted as a component party of the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN), marking it as the fifth member of the bloc, according to PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.
Takiyuddin confirmed that while the party’s approval was granted in December, the PN Supreme Council formally endorsed MIC’s membership last Saturday, as reported by Berita Harian.
“We have officially confirmed MIC’s admission, making it the fifth component party of PN,” said Takiyuddin, who also serves as PAS secretary-general. He added that he plans to meet MIC president SA Vigneswaran tonight to deliver the official confirmation letter.
FMT has reached out to MIC for further comment on the development.
Earlier this year in January, Vigneswaran stated that MIC’s top leadership would convene to discuss the party’s formal entry into PN, despite the coalition already approving the application.
Speculation over MIC leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) had circulated for months, particularly following the party’s general assembly in November, where delegates mandated the leadership to consider the move amid concerns over the party’s relevance within BN.
However, several Umno leaders repeatedly dismissed these rumours. BN secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir said the coalition had not received any official notification from MIC and insisted that the party remained part of BN. MIC leaders were also present at a recent BN leadership retreat, further indicating the party’s continued ties with the coalition.
Historically, MIC, along with MCA and Umno, was a founding member of the pre-independence Alliance Party, which evolved into Barisan Nasional in 1973.
