BUKIT SELAMBAU: Umno seen likely to do better

PARTIES within Barisan Nasional, especially Umno and the MIC, are clamouring to put up their candidates for the up-coming by-election in Bukit Selambau.

Though the seat was last contested by MIC, I feel the leadership of MIC should make way for Umno to contest the seat.

By allowing Umno to contest the seat, MIC will have to sacrifice a seat which, by tradition, is theirs to contest.

But looking at the current political scenario, I doubt that any other party candidate within the BN will have a fighting chance against Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

I hope the BN will come to a compromise, whereby the Bukit Selambau seat is temporarily given to Umno and that the MIC will be assured of a replacement seat to contest in Kedah in the next general election.
I am not denigrating the strength and credibility of MIC and its candidate per se, but one must be realistic when looking at the issue.

As the Bukit Selambau electorate is more than 50 per cent Malay, it is best that MIC gives way and supports the BN coalition.

From Letters To The Editor NST March 4 2009