Votes from Indian community may prove crucial

For the Indian community, the federal government has failed to handle issues such as the Hindu temple controversy satisfactorily.SEREMBAN: Indian votes could prove decisive in several key seats in the Negeri Sembilan election and, by extension, determine the outcome of the Aug 1 polls.But with the community feeling increasingly dissatisfied with the federal government, it could be costly for Pakatan Harapan (PH).Among other things, the community is unhappy with how Putrajaya is handling the controversy over Hindu temples and the intake into matriculation courses for Indian students.This could draw crucial votes away from PH. As discussions at a recent roundtable between Indian community leaders and FMT showed, their longtime support for PH could no longer be taken for granted.While Indians account for only 14.9% of the state’s 889,490 registered voters, Negeri Sembilan has one of the country’s largest concentrations of Indian voters.More importantly, those votes are heavily concentrated in several mixed constituencies where even a modest swing could determine the outcome.According to the official electoral roll, Indians account for more than one-fifth of voters in Jeram Padang (33%), Seremban Jaya (28%), Sri Tanjung (27%), Mambau (26%), Lukut (26%) and Bukit Kepayang (22%) — seats where the community could play kingmaker if contests are closely fought.That is six of the 36 seats up for grabs — enough to determine which side wins in a closely fought election.Traditionally, PH has enjoyed overwhelming support from the community but this time, dissatisfaction with the federal government may just turn the tables in favour of Barisan Nasional (BN) and its partner Perikatan Nasional (PN).Federal, rather than state, problemAt the roundtable, representatives of the education sector, healthcare, Tamil organisations, Hindu religious bodies, and civil society groups made it clear that this was an opportunity to send Putrajaya a political message.Interestingly, few were critical of the PH administration in Negeri Sembilan. Several acknowledged that the state government had generally performed well and that many PH assemblymen had served their constituencies effectively.But they were also quick to draw a distinction between the state administration and the federal leadership, saying disappointment with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had begun to overshadow local successes…