KULAI: The MIC is planning to launch its "Briged MIC" initiative on Saturday (Dec 11) as part of its efforts to attract more young voters in the coming 15th General Election (GE15).

       MIC president Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran said the initiative was a collective effort that would be run by the MIC Youth, Putera, and Puteri wings and targets to get at least 40,000 new young MIC members.

       "We currently have about 20,000 members under the brigade, which we hope we can expand to 60,000 members next year.

       "The initiative will be an ongoing effort to get closer to the young voters, especially by giving them platforms to talk about social issues, the importance of politics in the Indian community and job opportunities for the community," he said.

       He said this when met by reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dewi Sri Maha Saraswathy Temple in Taman Putri, here, on Friday (Dec 10).

       He added that the initiative would not be a one-off programme but instead would be a continuous effort to gather data on the needs of the Indian youth in the country.

       "The government's move to allow 18-year-olds to vote is a game-changer, and this is one of our strategies to help Barisan Nasional in the coming GE15.

       "The most important thing to do right now is constant engagement with the youth," he said, adding that currently there were 1.2 million young voters in the country aged between 18 and 21 years old.