Malaysian Indian Congress

John Thivy era:Indian Nationalist

John Thivy met Mahatma Gandhi at London while studying for law. He was inspired by Gandhi's ideology and determined for fight for Indian independence. He was actively involved in the Indian nationalist movement when he returned to Malaya.^[1] He founded the Malaya Indian Congress (MIC only officially became known as Malaysian Indian Congress, after the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963) in August 1946. The word 'Congress' in the name of Malaysian Indian Congress is taken from the Indian National Congress, the party that Mahatma Gandhi led to fight for Indian independence.

After India gained independence in 1947, Malaysian Indian Congress changed its ideology and started to fight for Malaysian Independence.^[2] John Thivy remained as party president for 1946 to 1947.

Baba Budh Singh Ji and Ramanathan Era: Fight against Malayan Union and the Federation of Malaya

Baba Budh Singh Ji became the 2nd president of MIC. During this time, the sentimental of the party take the path of anti-colonialism. Although majority of Indian support Malayan Union, MIC take the principle not to support Malayan Union.^[3] The Malayan union were withdraw on 1948 and replaced with Federation of Malaya. The MIC later joined the All Malaya Council for Joint Action (AMCJA) under Tun Tan Cheng Lock in opposition to the less liberal Federation of Malaya Agreement of 1948.

Third President Mr. K.Ramanathan, realising the ineffectiveness and futility of non-co-operation with the Government when the other major communities represented by UMNO and MCA cooperated, the MIC contested in 1952 Kuala Lumpur Municipal Elections in alliance with the IMP under Dato' Onn bin Jaafar and other non-communal organisations. However the 1952 elections proved the MIC's attempt to preach and practise non-communalism would not prevail in Malayan politics when communalism was the winning factor.

K.L. Devaser Era : Joining Alliance Party and focusing on Malayan Independence

In 1954 the MIC under its fourth President Mr. K. L. Devaser (1951-1955) became the third partner in the Alliance with UMNO and MCA.And It was during his period that MIC started focusing on the fight for Malayan independence.^[4]

At first, MIC under K.L Devaser contested in the 1952 Kuala Lumpur Municipal Elections in partnership with the Independence of Malaya Party under Dato’ Onn bin Jaafar.The election ended with a failure for MIC as their coalition was thrashed by the Alliance Party. The defeat showed MIC that it stood a better chance by joining the ‘Alliance’ as it was the most workable and effective form of political technique in the Malayan context. Thus, in 1954, MIC became the third member of the Alliance Party.

According to Rajeswary Ampalavanar, author of The Indian Minority and Political Change in Malaya 1954-1957, the MIC leadership was quite eager to join the Alliance but there was some resistance within the party’s broader membership. They were willing to support the move if the party could secure some concessions from the Alliance on inter-communal issues, particularly on education. From its inception up to this period, the Indian community has been divided.

While K.L. Devaser was quite outspoken, his influence was largely among the urban-based Indian elite, and he lacked wider grassroots support. For the first eight years, the MIC leaders were either of North Indian or Malayalee origin, representing a minority among the Malayan Indians. The majority of Indians (90%) in Malaya at that time were Tamils, mainly the labourers in plantations. Indian plantation workers, the main group of wageworkers in Malaya at the time, experienced enforced segregation because of plantation compound housing. The plantation labour system also worked against the integration of Indian workers into society at large and perpetuated racial and occupational differentiation. For one thing, they were unable to acquire skills that would facilitate their move to betterpaying jobs elsewhere. Migrant plantation workers were therefore marginalised and polarised in Malaya. Their wages in the post World War II era, which were around 50 cents a day, were tied to rubber prices, falling when the rubber price fell, but never rising when prices rose. K.L. 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, reports in the local daily Tamil Murasu urged Tamils to boycott the MIC.^[5] Even in 1955, the Indians clamoured for a change in MIC’s leadership and a change did take place because the president recognised that he had overstayed his welcome and gave way for change.The MIC's main challenge then, was to reconcile the political aspirations of the middle class with the needs of the labour class, who then comprised 84% of the plantation workforce.

Sambanthan Era: Becoming Tamil Party

At the Ninth Annual MIC Conference that was held in Teluk Anson (Teluk Intan), Perak in May 1955, Tun V.T. Sambanthan was elected as the fifth President of the Malayan Indian Congress. The MIC's main challenge was to reconcile the political aspirations of the middle class with the poverty and needs of the labouring class, who in 1938 comprised 84% of the plantation labour force. Sambanthan started a recruitment campaign among plantation workers, relying on patronage of Hinduism in its popular South Indian form, increased use and fostering of the Tamil language, and Tamil cultural activities.

But the MIC under Sambanthan failed to reconcile the needs of labour with the political aspirations of the middle class. The traditionalists and the lower middle class strengthened their hold within the party, while the upper-class professionals and the intelligentsia moved away from it. Subsequently, two paths to leadership emerged among the Indians – political and trade union – with very little interaction between them.

Under Sambanthan's leadership, the MIC effectively became a Tamil party. Sambanthan served as president of the MIC from 1955–71 and was largely responsible for the transformation of the party from an active, political organisation to a conservative, traditional one, emphasising Indian culture, religion and language.

It was also the weakest of the three main political parties. It had the smallest electorate – 7.4% in 1959; and it had little support from the Indian community at large.

Since the Indian community was geographically dispersed and divided, it comprised less than 25% in any constituency. Therefore, the MIC's over-riding concern was to remain a partner in the Alliance (the UMNO-MCA-MIC Alliance that had won the first elections in 1955, and that was subsequently renamed Barisan Nasional) and obtain whatever concessions it could from the dominant UMNO. In the process, political and economic rights of workers were sacrificed.

Sambanthan, while as MIC president, helped strengthen the party economically by selling about half of his father's 2.4 km² rubber estate to help the Indian community as well as to provide financial strength to the party coffers.

Sambanthan took over the mantle of the MIC during a period of turmoil in the party in 1955, barely months before the first federal elections, and over time strengthened the party and consolidated its position in the coalition. He did not always please his members but was able to gradually unite a party that had considerable internal splits.

Manickavasagam Era: Infusing new blood and Blue Book

Manickavasagam became president of MIC as a result of increased resistance of the grassroot members to Tun V.T. Sambanthan's style of leadership. As president of the party for 18 years, some felt Sambanthan had overstayed his welcome and wanted change.

Under Manickavasagam's leadership, the MIC was put on a strong footing with buildings, offices and staff in various parts of the country and the party system organised and its capacity to deal with issues enhanced.

It was during this period that the MIC, as member of the Alliance, became part of the Barisan Nasional. The party sponsored the Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative and the MIC Unit Trust as part of its programme for economic ventures, and 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 had a vision for the Malaysian Indian community. He organised the First Indian Economic Seminar and as a result the Blue Book came about. It was a development plan for the economic growth of the Indian community.The Blue Book was an orchestrated effort of a think-tank of top Indian business, political and education leaders collaborating to augment the future of the Malaysian Indian community. Maika Holdings and Maju Institute of Education and Development (MIED) and others are a direct result of the Blue Book.

When Manickavasagam became president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, he decided to introduce new faces to the party in leadership positions. This was the time when Datuk S. Subramaniam, Datuk K. Pathmanaban, a Harvard MBA holder, and several others entered the political arena to infuse new blood into MIC, and Manickavasagam gave them preference. They were young, well-educated and ambitious but lacked grassroots experience.

This made Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who was then MIC vice-president, bitter as he felt he was being sidelined. Samy Vellu was one of the five leaders who dared defy former president Tun V.T. Sambanthan and propel Manickavasagam to the presidency of the party. Subramaniam, then the secretary general of MIC, was hand-picked by Manickavasagam to become deputy president and succeed him. However, Samy Vellu fought back, literally, and in the 1977 party elections he managed to beat Subramaniam by a mere 26 votes to become the Deputy President of MIC.

Education welfare

More than 10,000 students have obtained loans and scholarships totalling about RM60mil in the past 20 years from the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) fund, the education arm the MIC.^[6]

AIMST University

The party sponsored the Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative and the MIC Unit Trust as part of its programme for economic ventures, and also set up the MIC Education Fund for members’ children and the Malaysian Indian Scholarship for higher education.^[7]

Private university project

The Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology University (AIMST) is the major ongoing project by MIC. It has already commenced operations and is offering a range of science and technology-based programmes including Medicine. It was founded on 15 March 2001, by the Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED), the educational arm of the MIC. Owned by Sammy Vellu Family.

Dewan Negara (Senate)

Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)

Members of Parliament of the 14th Malaysian Parliament

Main article: Members of the Dewan Rakyat, 14th Malaysian Parliament

MIC has 2 MPs in the House of Representatives.

State	No.	Parliament Constituency	Member	Party
Perak	P072	Tapah	M. Saravanan Murugan		MIC
Pahang	P078	Cameron Highlands	C. Sivarraajh Chandran		MIC
Total	Perak (1), Pahang (1)

Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)

President of Malayan Indian Congress

President of Malaysian Indian Congress