KULAI: MIC president Tan Sri Vigneswaran has urged Bukit Batu voters to support Barisan Nasional in the Johor polls, saying local issues would be resolved faster with a representative who could work with the state government.
He said problems in opposition-held seats would still be addressed, but would take longer.
"I am not saying that if not from Barisan Nasional, these issues will not be resolved. But it will take time," he told a press conference here on Friday (July 10).
Vigneswaran appealed to voters in Bukit Batu, regardless of race, to back the Barisan candidate so local issues could be dealt with.
He said any government would prioritise the areas that had backed it, and that this was the case everywhere.
Vigneswaran said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi had signalled that the state government would not work with opposition parties.
Because of this, representatives in opposition-held seats such as Bukit Batu and Perling would find it harder to resolve local problems with the state government, he said.
"The person they elect must be able to work with the state government and resolve the local issues," he said.
He said this was not about whether residents had complaints, but about the working relationship a representative could have with the state.
On the Indian vote, Vigneswaran said the community respected Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his personal capacity, but that good Indian representatives were still needed to raise community concerns.
He said MIC had avoided personal attacks during the campaign, and thanked other parties for doing the same.
He acknowledged that the co-existence seen in the federal unity government was not reflected at state level in Johor, but said this should not affect the polls.
MIC candidate R Kumaran is contesting Bukit Batu, which is seeing a five-cornered fight between Pakatan Harapan candidate Arthur Chiong, Muda candidate M Premanan, Bersama candidate G Tamili and independent candidate Kamaruzaman Ali.
During the 2022 state polls, Chiong won Bukit Batu with a slim majority of 137 votes against Barisan candidate Supayyah Solaimuthu in a four-cornered fight.
Polling takes place on Saturday (July 11).
