The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC; ta, மலேசிய இந்திய காங்கிரஸ், Malēciya Intiya Kāṅkiras; formerly known as Malayan Indian Congress) is a
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
n political party. It is one of the founding members of the coalition
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
, previously known as the
Alliance
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
, which was in power from when the country achieved independence in 1957 until the elections in 2018. The party was among the first to fight for
Malayan Independence and is one of the oldest parties in Malaysia.
The MIC was established in August 1946 to advocate for
Indian independence from
British colonial rule
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...
. After
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
gained its independence, MIC turned its focus to the struggle for the independence of
Malaya (now
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
), which was achieved in 1957. It positioned itself to represent the
Indian community in Malaya in the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
development of the country. The MIC, the
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...
and the
Malaysian Chinese Association
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...
formed the National Alliance in 1954. The National Alliance incorporated additional parties and became the
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
in 1973.
The MIC was once the largest party representing the
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
community, but has performed poorly in elections since 2008, losing out to
Pakatan Harapan
The Alliance of Hope ( ms, Pakatan Harapan; abbrev: PH; stylized as HARAPAN) is a Malaysian political coalition consisting of centre-left political parties which was formed in 2015 to succeed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. It has been the r ...
, which also represents majority of the Indian community.
History
John Thivy and Indian nationalism
John Thivy, the founder of the MIC, met
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
at
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
while studying law. He was inspired by
Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
's ideology and Nehru's vision and became determined to fight for Indian independence. He became actively involved in the Indian nationalist movement and returned to Malaya. He founded the Malaya Indian Congress (renamed Malaysian Indian Congress after the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963) in August 1946, and was party president until 1947. The word 'Congress' in the party's name refers to the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
, the party Mahatma Gandhi led to fight for Indian independence.
Baba Budh Singh Ji, Ramanathan, and opposition to the Malayan Union
After India gained independence in 1947, the MIC changed its focus and started to fight for the independence of Malaya. Baba Budh Singh Ji became president of MIC in 1947. After World War II, the British had established the
Malayan Union
The Malayan Union was a union of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. It was the successor to British Malaya and was conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administratio ...
, unifying the Malay Peninsula under a single government to simplify administration. Although a majority of the Indian community supported the Malayan Union, the MIC did not.
The Malayan Union was dissolved in 1948 after widespread Malay protests and replaced with the
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...
. The MIC later joined the
All-Malaya Council of Joint Action
The All-Malaya Council of Joint Action (AMCJA) was a coalition of political and civic organisations in Malaya formed to participate in the development of a constitution for post-war Malaya in preparation for independence and to oppose the Con ...
under
Tun
TUN or tun may refer to:
Biology
* Tun shells, large sea snails of the family ''Tonnidae''
* Tun, a tardigrade in its cryptobiotic state
* Tun or Toon, common name for trees of the genus '' Toona''
Places
* Tun, Sweden, a locality in Västra G ...
Tan Cheng Lock
Tan Cheng Lock KBE JP () (5 April 1883 – 13 December 1960) was a Malaysian Peranakan businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya. Tan wa ...
in opposition to the Federation of Malaya Agreement.
K. Ramanathan became president in 1950. By this time, the MIC was the leading party representing Indians in Malaya. Ramanathan advocated for the relaxation of the language proficiency test as a prerequisite for citizenship for Indians, and urged Indians to obtain federal citizenship.
K.L. Devaser and a focus on Malayan independence
The MIC's fourth President,
Kundan Lal Devaser, served from 1951 to 1955. It was during his period that MIC started to focus on the fight for Malayan independence.
Under Devaser, the MIC contested the
1952 Kuala Lumpur Municipal Elections in alliance with the
Independence of Malaya Party
The Independence of Malaya Party ( ms, Parti Kemerdekaan Malaya) was a political party in British-ruled Malaya that stood for political independence. Founded by Onn Ja'afar after he left UMNO in 1951, it opposed the UMNO policy of Malay supr ...
,
Dato' Onn bin Jaafar and other non-communal organisations. The election ended with a failure for MIC as their coalition was defeated by the
Alliance Party. The defeat showed MIC that it stood a better chance of gaining influence by joining the Alliance. In 1954 the MIC joined the
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...
and the
Malayan Chinese Association
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...
in the Alliance, securing a place for Indians in the administration.
The party's broader membership was less enthusiastic than the MIC leadership about joining the Alliance but were willing to support the move if the party could secure concessions from the Alliance on inter-communal issues, particularly on education.
Devaser was primarily popular among the urban-based Indian elite, and lacked wider grassroots support. For the first eight years, MIC leaders were either of North Indian or Malayalee origin, a minority among Malayan Indians. The majority of Indians in Malaya at that time were Tamils, most of whom were labourers in plantations. Indian plantation workers experienced enforced segregation because of plantation compound housing. The plantation labour system also worked against the integration of Indian workers into society and perpetuated racial and occupational differentiation. Plantation workers were unable to acquire the skills required to move to better-paying jobs.
Migrant plantation workers were both marginalised and polarised in Malaya. Their wages were tied to rubber prices, falling when the rubber price fell, and were about 50c per day. Devaser came under heavy criticism from the Tamil media for not addressing the pressing issues facing the community. Some in the party felt that there was a need for a leader with a stronger relationship with the party's grassroots. In March 1955, the local daily ''Tamil Murasu'' urged Tamils to boycott the MIC. This was followed by a call for change in MIC's leadership, led by Tamil MIC leaders, and Devaser stepped down.
The MIC then faced the challenge of reconciling the political aspirations of the middle class with the needs of the working class, who at the time comprised 84% of the plantation workforce.
V. T Sambanthan and becoming a Tamil party
In May 1955,
Tun V. T. Sambanthan was elected as the fifth President of the Malayan Indian Congress. Sambanthan started a recruitment campaign among plantation workers, relying on the patronage of Hinduism in its popular South Indian form, increased use of the Tamil language, and encouraging Tamil cultural activities. He personally toured plantations and encouraged Tamils to join the MIC.
This led to a fragmentation of the Indian community, with traditionalists and the lower middle class becoming prominent in the party while upper-class professionals and the intelligentsia moved away from it. Two paths to leadership emerged in the Indian community, via politics or via trade union activism, with very little interaction between them.
Under Sambanthan's leadership, the MIC effectively became a Tamil party. Sambanthan served as president of the MIC until 1971 and was largely responsible for the transformation of the party to a conservative and traditionalist party emphasising Indian culture, religion and language. It was the weakest of the three main political parties, with the smallest electorate (7.4% in 1959) and had little support from the Indian community at large.
The Indian community was geographically dispersed and divided and comprised less than 25% of the population in any constituency. The MIC's overriding concern was therefore to remain a partner in the Alliance and obtain whatever concessions it could from the dominant UMNO. This led the MIC to compromise on priorities such as the political and economic rights of workers.
Sambanthan sold approximately half of his father's 2.4 km
2 rubber estate and donated part of the money to the MIC. He was not uniformly popular but was able to gradually unite a party that had significant internal divides. During his presidency, in 1957, Malaysian independence was achieved. Sambanathan was involved in the negotiations with the British government's
Reid Commission The Reid Commission was an independent commission responsible for drafting the Constitution of Malaysia, Constitution of the Federation of Malaya prior to Federation of Malaya, Malayan independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northe ...
to draw up the new Malayan constitution. In 1963
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
and
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...
merged with the Federation of Malaya to form the
Federation of Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia. ...
, and the MIC renamed itself the Malaysian Indian Congress.
Sambanathan was forced to retire in favour of
V. Manickavasagam
V. Manickavasagam ( ta, மாணிக்கவாசகம் பிள்ளை, Māṇikkavācakam piḷḷai; 4 October 1926 – 12 October 1979) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Communications. He was a member and s ...
in 1973 after a rebellion by five MIC leaders including
Samy Vellu
Tun Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu ( ta, சாமிவேலு சங்கிலிமுத்து, Cāmivēlu Caṅkilimuttu; 8 March 1936 – 15 September 2022) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Works from June 1983 ...
.
Manickavasagam and non-political ventures
Manickavasagam served as president of MIC from 1973 to 1978. During this period, Malaysia's
New Economic Policy
The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...
was being developed, and the MIC convened two economic conferences in an unsuccessful effort to advocate for the interests of Indians.
It was during this period that the MIC, as member of the Alliance, became part of the
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
. The party sponsored the Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative and the MIC Unit Trust as part of its programme for economic ventures. It also set up the MIC Education Fund for members' children and the Malaysian Indian Scholarship Fund for higher education as well as acquiring an Institute for training Indians in technical and trade skills.
Manickavasagam appointed several new representatives to leadership positions, including
Subramaniam Sathasivam, Datuk K. Pathmanaban, a Harvard MBA holder, and several others. They were young, well-educated and ambitious but lacked grassroots experience. Subramaniam was hand-picked by Manickavasagam to become deputy president and succeed him, but the party elected
Samy Vellu
Tun Samy Vellu s/o Sangalimuthu ( ta, சாமிவேலு சங்கிலிமுத்து, Cāmivēlu Caṅkilimuttu; 8 March 1936 – 15 September 2022) was a Malaysian politician who served as Minister of Works from June 1983 ...
as Deputy President instead, by a narrow margin of 26 votes.
Samy Vellu and emphasis on education
Samy Vellu became MIC president in 1979 and served until 2010. Under his leadership, in 1984, the MIC founded the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) to offer educational opportunities and financial support to Indian students in Malaysia. Since its establishment, more than 10,000 students have obtained loans and scholarships totaling about RM60 million MIED fund as of 2013. In 2001, the MIC and MIED launched an
AIMST University
Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST University) is a profit private university in Malaysia. It was established under the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED), a profit organisation. The university was built by Mal ...
with the stated goal of helping Indians acquire professional training. Vellu was the founding chancellor of the university. By 2018, the university had achieved a score of 4 on the Malaysian Higher Education Institution's 5-point rating scale. However, AIMST's commitment to training Indian students has been questioned.
Vellu was succeeded by
G. Palanivel who served from 2010 to 2014. Subramaniam was then elected, initially in an acting role, serving from 2014 to 2018. , the party is led by
Vigneswaran Sanasee
Vigneswaran s/o Sanasee ( ta, ச. விக்னேஸ்வரன், Sa. Vikṉēsvaraṉ; born 16 December 1965) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Special Envoy of ...
.
Central Working Committee
* President:
Vigneswaran Sanasee
Vigneswaran s/o Sanasee ( ta, ச. விக்னேஸ்வரன், Sa. Vikṉēsvaraṉ; born 16 December 1965) is a Malaysian people, Malaysian politician who has served as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Special Envoy of ...
* Deputy President:
Saravanan Murugan
Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan ( ta, முருகன் சரவணன், Murukaṉ Caravaṇaṉ; born 4 February 1968) commonly referred to as M. Saravanan ( ta, மு. சரவணன், Mu. Caravaṇaṉ) is a Malaysian politician w ...
* 1st Vice-President: T. Mohan
* 2nd Vice-President: T. Murugiah
* 3rd Vice-President: M. Asojan
* 4th Vice-President: Vell Paari
* 5th Vice-President: Kohilan Pillay Appu
* Secretary-General: R. T. Rajasekaran
* Treasurer-General: Tan Sri Ramasamy
* Information Chief: R.Thinalan
* Executive Secretary: R. Gunaseelan
* Youth Leader: Raven Kumar Krishnasamy
* Deputy Youth Leader: Andrew David
* Women Leader: Mohana Muniandy Raman
* Deputy Women Leader: Vickneswary Babuji
* Putera Leader: Dr. A. Kishva
* Deputy Putera Leader: Dr. Shatesh Kumar Sangar
* Puteri Leader: R. Shaliny
* Deputy Puteri Leader: S. Teeba
44 Central Working Committee Members:
Source:
List of party leaders
Presidents of the Malayan Indian Congress (1946–1963)
Presidents of the Malaysian Indian Congress (1963–''present'')
Elected representatives
Dewan Negara (Senate)
Senators
# S Vell Paari – appointed by the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The of ...
# Nelson Renganathan – appointed by the
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (, Jawi: ), also known as the Supreme Head of the Federation, the Paramount Ruler or simply as the Agong, and unofficially as the King of Malaysia, is the constitutional monarch and head of state of Malaysia. The of ...
Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)
Members of Parliament of the 15th Malaysian Parliament
, MIC has only 1 MP in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
.
Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)
Malaysian State Assembly Representatives
Johor State Legislative Assembly
The Johor State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Negeri Johor) is the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is composed of 56 members who are elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elections are he ...
Malacca State Legislative Assembly
The Malacca State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Melaka) is the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Malacca. It is composed of 28 members who are elected from single-member constituencies throughout the state. Ele ...
Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly
The Negeri Sembilan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Sembilan) is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. It consists of 36 members who represent single-member constituencies throughout the state. ...
Perlis State Legislative Assembly
The Perlis State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Perlis) is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Perlis. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 15 lawmakers representing single-member constituenci ...
Kedah State Legislative Assembly
The Kedah State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Kedah) is the state legislature of the Malaysian state of Kedah. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 36 lawmakers representing single-member constituencies thro ...
Kelantan State Legislative Assembly
The Kelantan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Kelantan. It consists of 45 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elec ...
Terengganu State Legislative Assembly
The Terengganu State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Terengganu) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Terengganu. It consists of 32 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state. ...
Penang State Legislative Assembly
The Penang State Legislative Assembly is the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 40 elected lawmakers representing single-member constituencies throughout Penang. The state legis ...
Perak State Legislative Assembly
The Perak State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Negeri Perak) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Perak. It is composed of 59 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state. Elections are held no ...
Pahang State Legislative Assembly
The Pahang State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Pahang) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Pahang. It is composed of 42 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the state.
The Asse ...
Selangor State Legislative Assembly
The Selangor State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Negeri Selangor) is the unicameral state legislature of the Malaysian state of Selangor. The State Assembly is composed of 56 members representing single-member constituencies throughout the sta ...
Sabah State Legislative Assembly
The Sabah State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah, Kadazandusun language, Kadazandusun: ''Langga' Tinukuan Pogun Sabah'') is a part of the legislature of Sabah, Malaysia, the other being the List of Yang di-Pertua Negeri of ...
Sarawak State Legislative Assembly
The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after the ...
General election results
State election results
See also
*
Politics of Malaysia
Politics of Malaysia takes place in the framework of a federal representative democratic constitutional monarchy, in which the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is head of state and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government. Executive power ...
*
List of political parties in Malaysia
This is a list of political parties in Malaysia, including existing and historical ones.
Legislation
Under the current legislation, all political parties (termed "Political Associations") must be registered under the Societies Act.
Election e ...
References
* Goh, Cheng Teik (1994). ''Malaysia: Beyond Communal Politics''. Pelanduk Publications. .
* Pillai, M.G.G. (3 November 2005)
"National Front parties were not formed to fight for Malaysian independence" ''Malaysia Today''.
* The Star (2 August 2006): "Education a Key MIC Thrust"; M. Krishnamoorthy
External links
*
{{Authority control
1946 establishments in British Malaya
Defunct political parties in Singapore
Political parties in Malaysia
Identity politics
Indian-Malaysian culture
Political parties established in 1946
Political parties of minorities
Indian National Congress breakaway groups
Dravidian political parties