Political parties in Malaysia ups the ante to get Indian votes

Ahead of general elections in Malaysia, the 950,000-strong ethnic Indian community, mostly Tamils, is being wooed by both the ruling and opposition parties with catchy Tamil songs, pamphlets and online videos.
Both sides are vying for the votes of ethnic Indians, which can play a crucial role in as many as 60 of the total 222 parliamentary seats, where the community makes up between 10 per cent to 30 per cent of the voters.
Ethnic Indians make up about 950,000 of the 13.3 million eligible voters for the May 5 general election.
The importance of ethnic Indian votes was recently reinforced when Premier Najib Razak admitted their significance and value.

For the first time, brochures have been printed in Tamil language and are being distributed in large numbers by candidates of both Najib's ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, as well as the opposition parties.
At least a dozen songs in support of the ruling coalition have been uploaded on YouTube, while the opposition alliance has come up with five, using music from popular Tamil movies, such as 'Kolaveri' and 'Kumki'.

The opposition has also produced a 30-minute drama, Vidyal (Awakening), featuring a wayward youth who ends up in prison, but is eventually reformed on meeting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
A political scientist at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Sivamurugan Pandian, said ethnic Indians, who had overwhelmingly voted for the opposition in 2008 elections, were expected to support the ruling party this time because of Najib's 'feel good' factor.

"Many Indians are appreciative of Najib's efforts to provide assistance to the community that has been lagging behind," he was quoted by Star newspaper as saying.
He said the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the largest ethnic Indian political party, may retain the four seats it currently holds.