New wind blowing through MIC under Palanivel

MIC’s 65th general assembly being held tomorrow will see a breath of fresh air as it will be presided over by greenhorn party leader G Palanivel, who has sat in the wings patiently for the last four years for his turn.

Palanivel, who took over the party helm from stalwart S Samy Vellu last December, has vowed to recapture the backing of the Indian community for BN.

This is also the first time the party - that boasts of being the voice of the ethnic minority forming eight percent, or 2.24 million, of the Malaysian population - will be meeting in the absence of Samy Vellu who held power for more than three decades.

Palanivel (right) was handpicked to take over as the party president after the tumultuous years of Samy Vellu’s leadership.

The party, at one point, became divided and Samy Vellu had to be forced out for many were dissatisfied with his iron grip on the leadership.

One thing apparent during Samy Vellu’s leadership was that dissent was silenced, and everyone had to conform to one voice - his way or the highway.

But under Palanivel a new wind is blowing through the MIC and there is freedom of speech - at a reasonable level - and dissent is allowed.

Moving away from Samy's shadow

Political analyst Professor James Chin of Monash University opined that Palanivel’s intentions were certainly to move away from Samy’s shadows andto portray a more assertive stance.

“He is still trying to consolidate his position but he is seen to be working in the shadows. But his primary focus now should be to replace the existing elected representatives (from Samy’s rule) with his own,” said Chin.

And this is obvious, following the decision to break away from tradition and organise a congregation of large numbers of grassroots members at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), rather than the more frequently patronised Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

“Palanivel needs everybody under the sun to be there... he has to look like he is going to come out victorious and that he has all the support as the next step towards the general election,” said Chin.

According to him, Palanivel is also “worried” about criticism and hence, has taken to splashing out party funds to throw a gala of an assembly.

To begin with, Palanivel had brought back sacked members, most booted out for criticising Samy Vellu, into the party and reinstating them to their old positions in a bid to close ranks.

Since then he has also encouraged cooperation with other disenfranchised Indian-based parties, namely MIUP and IPF, in order to prevent a split in their vote.

Rare unity in party’s fold

“He has brought about a lot of changes,” said central working committee (CWC) member Madhu Marimuthu, a key ally of Palanivel.

“He is reaching out to everyone and extended privileges to the branches like no other president has in the past.

"For example, state party leaders were all appointed in the past but now he let’s the grassroots elect their leaders,” he said, adding that the move helped “democratise” the party.

The amnesty, for one, has brought better unity, as members, delegates and leaders all closed ranks behind Palanivel, reflected in the buzz on the party’s grapevine.

But is it all rosy when discontent continues to ferment? Just months back, a proxy fight had erupted when Palanivel’s critics lashed out at the amnesty move, claiming that it was an attempt to eliminate any competition from his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam (left).

Palanivel’s decision to postpone all party polls until after the general election has also caused some concern, as the party constitution does not provide for such a move. But this does not apply to all other posts under the party rules.

However, both leaders have denied a rift and are determined to project a united front to show Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak that the MIC is now ready to reclaim its place as the face of the Indian community.

In preparation for the general assembly, commencing at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre today with the youth and women’s wing assemblies, Palanivel told reporters yesterday that his keynote address will be a crucial one.

He stressed that it will encompass the need for a greater endorsement of the minority community in the event that the polls are called in the near future.

However, he shied away from revealing  further details.

This time, the general assembly will see Najib addressing not just delegates, but more than 4,000 branch chiefs, to underline the importance of reaching out and delivering a holistic approach as well as to resolve major issues that the party is grappling with.