MF hopes to recapture supporters

AS POLITICAL parties gear up for the national elections, the Minority Front (MF) is hoping for a turn in fortunes after years of internal disputes and divisions following the death of its former leader Amichand Rajbansi.

The party, once a favourite among many Indians voters, has steadily bled support over the past eight years, and 2019 could be a decisive year in terms of its survival. Last year, the MF celebrated its 25th anniversary with a relaunch, and now hopes to recapture the hearts of its former supporters.

Spokesperson Jonathan Annipen said the party would launch its election campaign in mid-february, and its leader Shameen Thakur Rajbansi, the widow of Rajbansi, had the full support of party officials. “The party is strong, united and on a forceful, upward trajectory. Branches are set up and operational throughout KZN.”

The MF no longer has a seat in the National Assembly, lost its executive committee seat in ethekwini municipality, and has one seat in the Kwazulu-natal legislature.

Political analyst Lubna Nadvi said the party did not appear to have a visible presence in the province or nationally. “The areas that the MF previously had support in have been taken over by other parties in terms of who is governing these areas. Hence, unless it can repackage itself as a party that represents people on the basis of issues such as service delivery rather than race, it really will have no relevance in 2019,” Nadvi said.

Annipen said the MF would this year “contest the KZN and national ballots… As a smaller party we do not attract foreign contributions nor do we have any domestic donors; our campaigns are run internally, which can sometimes pose a financial challenge”.