In the aftermath of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) rally two years ago, the Indian community's support swung towards the opposition.
Once regarded as the true-blue supporters of Barisan Nasional, they had even turned their backs on MIC, leaving the party in tatters.
But since the March 8 general election last year, discontent has been brewing among the Indians towards the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition over several issues.
The latest being the Kampung Buah Pala crisis in the DAP-controlled state of Penang, where 23 Indian families are faced with the threat of eviction.
Now as the fragile Pakatan tries to 'resuscitate' its support from the Indian community, MIC has been moving silently on the ground.
Led by the president S Samy Vellu himself, the party has mounted a campaign to woo those disgruntled with the opposition.
The campaign is said to have received encouraging response, especially from Indian non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Consultative councils formed
In Perak, the NGOs have formed a consultative council with MIC to address the various Indian issues with the state government.
According to Samy Vellu, similar councils are being formed in other states as well.
"We are networking with the NGOs because they represent a wide spectrum of people, some who may not want to be aligned to any political parties," he said.
Samy Vellu said the problems faced by the Indians could be approached in a holistic manner via these councils.
"The NGOs and MIC will seek solutions to the problems collectively and submits its findings to the federal and state governments for further action," he said.
The veteran politician said the 'MIC-NGO partnership' was a new strategy to woo more Indians to support BN as many Indians might not be keen to join any political parties.
"We want every Indian irrespective of their background to join in the decision-making process so that they will feel a sense of belonging and will not feel being left out," he added.
Samy Vellu will also be touring the nation in the next two months to hold meetings with the NGOs.
"We hope to gather all the Indian NGOs to support the new policies being introduced by (Prime Minister) Najib Abdul Razak's administration," he added.
Recently, Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar also expressed disappointment with Pakatan, suggesting that he will form a new political entity to give Indians a third voice.
Once regarded as the true-blue supporters of Barisan Nasional, they had even turned their backs on MIC, leaving the party in tatters.But since the March 8 general election last year, discontent has been brewing among the Indians towards the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition over several issues.
The latest being the Kampung Buah Pala crisis in the DAP-controlled state of Penang, where 23 Indian families are faced with the threat of eviction.Now as the fragile Pakatan tries to 'resuscitate' its support from the Indian community, MIC has been moving silently on the ground.
Led by the president S Samy Vellu himself, the party has mounted a campaign to woo those disgruntled with the opposition.
The campaign is said to have received encouraging response, especially from Indian non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Consultative councils formed
In Perak, the NGOs have formed a consultative council with MIC to address the various Indian issues with the state government.
According to Samy Vellu, similar councils are being formed in other states as well.
"We are networking with the NGOs because they represent a wide spectrum of people, some who may not want to be aligned to any political parties," he said.Samy Vellu said the problems faced by the Indians could be approached in a holistic manner via these councils.
"The NGOs and MIC will seek solutions to the problems collectively and submits its findings to the federal and state governments for further action," he said.
The veteran politician said the 'MIC-NGO partnership' was a new strategy to woo more Indians to support BN as many Indians might not be keen to join any political parties.
"We want every Indian irrespective of their background to join in the decision-making process so that they will feel a sense of belonging and will not feel being left out," he added.
Samy Vellu will also be touring the nation in the next two months to hold meetings with the NGOs.
"We hope to gather all the Indian NGOs to support the new policies being introduced by (Prime Minister) Najib Abdul Razak's administration," he added.
Recently, Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar also expressed disappointment with Pakatan, suggesting that he will form a new political entity to give Indians a third voice.
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