Bagan Pinang by-election could well be the turning point for the future direction of Indian voters in the country's electoral process.
The electoral stand to be taken by the Human Rights Party and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) this weekend is set to have a major impact on it.
The community balloting preference and both the Indian based movements' joint stand are set to be a major determining factor on the outcome of the contest, which could see another Umno versus PAS electoral bout.
Supporters of both inter-linked movements would meet this weekend at an undisclosed venue to decide on their official stand on the Bagan Pinang by-election.
Based on the current political scenario, it would not be surprising if supporters of both movements decide not to support any of the contesting parties.
No plans to field a candidate
They may decide to campaign for Bagan Pinang Indian voters to abstain from voting.
Recently formed HRP does not plan to field any candidate to contest as an independent in the forthcoming Bagan Pinang state by-election in Negeri Sembilan.
Although Indians voters encompassed 20.4 per cent of the constituency's 14,192 voters, HRP secretary-general P Uthayakumar (left) said it would not be ideal for the party to contest the election.
The constituency's Malay voters make up 64 %; Chinese, 10.8 % and others, 4.9 %. There are 5,000 postal votes.
"We are still at the organisational stage . . . in the structural and operations of the party.
"We are not ready yet to contest," Uthayakumar, who is also Hindraf legal advisor, told Malaysiakini today.
However, this may not be a reprieve to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat after all.
Indians taken for a ride
Based on his own observations and undercurrent sentiments, Uthayakumar said Indians were caught in between two feuding political blocks striving for power.
He said both blocks were using Indians 'for a mere piggy ride' to win electoral battles, neglecting them after that.
"BN rule for the past 52 years and PR governments in Kedah, Selangor and Penang over the past 17 months showed no difference in the style of governance.
"Both governments treat Indians the same because they believe Indian votes were insignificant.
"Both BN and PR ignore and neglect Indians due the community's lack of political power," stressed the human rights activist.
In the country's 12th general election in March last year, Hindraf had called on and campaigned for Indians to vote for the opposition parties of PKR, PAS and DAP.
The perceived marginalisation of Indians for five decades in the country was the single major communal-based issue in the last general election.
As a result the majority of Indians, who were traditionally BN loyalists, voted for the opposition pack.
However, since then, Indian grassroots sentiments were slowly and surely turning away from Pakatan and taking a middle path as most of them are reluctant to go back to BN, which they perceived as the 'greater evil.'
This weekend, top brass and grassroots leadersv and main HRP and Hindraf activists are expected to deliberate and pass resolutions on the performance of both the Pakatan and Barisan governments.
Contentious issues such as Penang's Kampung Buah Pala crisis and Selangor's Shah Alam temple relocation and cow head protest controversy are expected to dominate the proceedings.
The activists would also touch on the threat of continued demolition of Hindu temples and crematoriums, and the deplorable conditions of Tamil schools, even in Pakatan-controlled states.
Prefer to work with Pakatan
HRP and Hindraf leaders prefer to work with Pakatan, especially PKR and PAS, as opposed to working with BN.
Thus, their decisions would affect Pakatan more than BN.
"Both BN and Pakatan states can gazette the temple, crematorium and Tamil schools as state lands.
"But both didn't because Indians were politically insignificant for both," said Uthayakumar.
The by-election is being held following the death of BN's state representative Azman Mohd Noor, on Sept 4.
Azman's passing paves the way for the ninth by-election since the 2008 general election.
In the last general election, Azman polled 6,430 votes to defeat PAS candidate Ramli Ismail, with a majority of 2,333 votes.
Bagan Pinang is one of the five state seats under the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat, currently held by PKR's Kamarul Baharin Abbas.
The Election Commission will meet on Monday, Sept 14, to fix the nomination and polling dates for Bagan Pinang.
Emails are already circulating widely online calling on Bagan Pinang Indians to abstain from voting.
While the portal postings condemned Umno for its continued racial antics, the writers of these postings also expressed their reservations on the performance of the Pakatan state governments, especially in the handling of the Kampung Buah Pala (also known as Tamil High Chaparral) crisis in Penang.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and DAP's government Indian leaders were all at the receiving end of their brick bats.
PKR parliamentarians and assembly persons were also dismissed for not helping the community.
PAS elected representatives were also not spared from their criticisms.
"Tell me an incident where a PAS leader stopped a temple demolition.
"Pakatan parliamentarians have yet to voice out any issues affecting Indians neither have they sought permanent solutions in Pakatan states to resolve Indian problems," said Uthayakumar.
The portal postings also highlighted that while Pakatan governments in Selangor and, previously then in Perak, allocated lands for the Chinese community, none was set aside for Indians.
Indian votes come with a price
One particular writer, Subramaniam Bharathy, called on Indians to hit both BN and PR where it hurts most - the ballot box.
He said the country needed a holistic approach to tackle Indian issues such as the bread and butter issues, crime rates, suicide rates, alcoholism and drug abuse and unemployment.
"But both BN and PR governments are not doing anything to seriously tackle these issues raised before them in a holistic way".
"Indians in Bagan Pinang must vote wisely to get both BN and PR to reckon Indians were significant political calculations," said the writer.
Although the by-election would not make any drastic changes to the state political landscape, he stressed that at least a political point be made that "Indian votes come with a price".
"Indian voters shall abstain from voting this time," he said in widely circulated online posting.
BN controlled Negeri Sembilan state assembly with 20 out of 36 state seats, while Pakatan has the remaining 15, which includes DAP 10, PKR 4 and PAS one.
MIC aims to deliver all the Indian votes to BN to ensure victory for BN and break the eight straight by-election defeats suffered previously at the hands of Pakatan in Peninsular.
But HRP and Hindraf are set to have a final say on which direction Indian voters would swing to this time
By Baradan Kuppusamy - The Malaysian Insider
