The party leaders are now busy wooing the Indians to vote for the party to force a change in the now lopsided political landscape in the state.

It is not that DAP had never or ever championed the Indian cause or wooed the Indian votes before. But it never had aggressively campaigned for it.

Large Indian turnout, estimated to be 5,000 people, at a recent public talk organised by Penang DAP Indian group indicates for the first time, majority of the minority community voters are contemplating the idea to cast their ballots differently this time around.

Previously one would not have noticed large Indian turnouts at opposition forums.

Based on the 2004 electoral roll, Penang has 70,618 registered Indian votes, or 10.5 per cent of the 672,361 voters.

Although the state does not have an Indian majority seat, nonetheless many federal and state seats have considerable presence of Indian voters, who can change the margin of losing and winning in tight contests.

Among Penang’s 40 state constituencies, Perai, now being held by the ‘soon-to-be-retired’ MIC state chairman Dr K Rajapathy, has the biggest Indian vote bank, 4,893 or 36 percent of constituency’s 43,055 registered voters.

Other state seats with considerable Indian voters were Bagan Dalam with 3,780 voters or 22 percent registered voters; Jawi 3,830 (21,42 per cent); Bukit Tengah 2,412 (17.91 per cent); Bukit Tambun 2,513 (15.93 per cent); Datuk Keramat 3,050 (15.47 per cent); Sungai Pinang 2,855 (14.97 per cent); Padang Kota 2,689 (14.7 per cent); Kebun Bunga 2,737 (14.51 per cent); Batu Uban 2,778 (14.5 per cent); Bagan Jermal 2,935 (14 per cent); Seberang Jaya 2,385 and Tanjung Bungah 2,014 (both 12 per cent); Seri Delima 2,351 (11.7 per cent) and Telok Air Tawar 1,498 (11.11 percent).

Among the state’s 13 parliamentary seats, Batu Kawan, which comprises state seats of Perai, Bukit Tengah and Bukit Tambun, has the most Indian votes – 9,818 Indian votes or 23 per cent of its 43,055 registered voters.

Among federal seats with more than 10 per cent Indian constituents are Nibong Tebal (15.8 percent), Bagan (14.08 per cent), Jelutong (12.26 per cent), Bayan Baru (11.52 per cent), Bukit Bendera (11.15 per cent) and Bukit Gelugor (10 per cent).

Thanks to Hindraf

Since the country’s first general election in 1959 until the last one in 2004, an overwhelming majority of Indian votes, as many surveys pointed out to be between 80 and 95 per cent, have dutifully voted for the ruling coalition, first Alliance now Barisan Nasional.

Indians would not even bother to listen to the opposition words, talks or ideas for majority of them would have made up their minds long before polling.

They did not have reasons, or was it they conveniently ignored them, to rock the boat.

Political observers have pointed out many reasons behind the Indians blind devotion towards BN.

Firstly, the country, let alone the state, did not have a formidable opposition Indian-based party and secondly, Indian-based political parties such as the MIC, PPP and IPF are all under BN.

Moreover, virtually all Indian-based NGOs throw their support behind the ruling coalition.

“Indians were never led by anyone campaigning on political awareness and rights, until Hindraf and the Nov 25 rally,” said state DAP Indian committee chief A Krishnan, 67.

Last November, Hindraf held a public gathering in Kuala Lumpur to handover a petition to the British High Commission seeking the British Queen to appoint two English lawyers for free for a civil action suit against the country’s former colonial master.

However, the peaceful gathering turned ugly and nasty sight when it was disrupted by the police, who threw tear gases and sprayed chemical-tainted water canon on the demonstrators.

The incident, though, was a blessing in disguise as the demonstrators `fight back for self-defense’ removed any intimidating fear factor that had always clouded the Indian thinking and eliminate the subservient attitude of the community.

During election period in the past, the United Hindu Religious Council president SG Mugunthan said majority Indians had always feared another May 13 racial riots and scared of being sidelined or isolated by the ruling coalition.

“The BN threats disseminated by Indian political parties and NGO leaders have worked wonders for past 50 years.

“Thanks to Hindraf, majority Indians aren’t afraid of the establishment’s might anymore and are ready for a change,” he said.

Disaster to MIC

One has to believe that Indian votes are surely tilting away from BN and moving towards the opposition in Penang.

BN currently holds eight of the 13 parliamentary seats and 38 of the 40 state constituencies in Penang.

DAP has four parliamentary seats and a solitary state constituency, PKR has a federal seat in Permatang Pauh and PAS holds a state seat in Permatang Pasir.

Since 1990 general election, Malay and Chinese votes were split to both the ruling BN coalition and the opposition parties in Penang.

According to a survey carried out by the Merdeka Research Institute last December, 70 per cent Indian voters throughout the country are expected to vote for non-BN parties.

If this stays, political observers believe that an Indian vote swing would decide the winner.

Although non-Indian BN leaders are not bold enough to admit it, this would spell disaster to the ruling coalition in Penang, especially to MIC, which has two state seats in Perai and Bagan Dalam, held by state party deputy chairman and executive councillor PK Subbaiyah.

Whether PAS gains or not from the Indian-vote swing in Penang remains to be seen, PKR is likely to gain considerably.

And no doubt, the DAP would be the biggest beneficiary of the expected Indian swing.

At the recent DAP in Penang, the party supremo Lim Kit Siang cried out for Makkal Sakti (people’s power) to emulate the 1990 general election in which BN was denied a 2/3 majority in the state legislative assembly.

The 5,000-strong Makkal Sakti crowd responded with a resounding approval.