COMMENT The Malaysia Indian Congress (MIC) is heading for another major break-up, when Barisan Nasional chairperson, Najib Abdul Razak decided to set up a secretariat to intervene in the MIC crisis.

According to a statement by BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, the secretariat has to be set up to prevent the MIC crisis from “escalating further”.

MIC president G Palanivel is, of course, adamant against handing over the administration of the secretariat. Even the secretary-general, S Sothinathan (right), whom he had sent to represent him at the meeting, was not allowed to attend.

It appears that to Palanivel, this is both an insult and interference into the affairs of the Indian-based BN component party, of which he is still the president, but Palanivel has no other options but to accept the decision announced by Tengku Adnan, because the high-powered meeting was chaired by the prime minister himself.

Both Palanivel and his nemesis, Dr S Subramaniam, are cabinet ministers, and since the MIC crisis broke out, they have been lambasting at each other in the local media. The latter has announced that he would be going for the presidency.

Precedent for the future

It will be interesting to see how the MIC crisis would develop into. Whenever a crisis broke out in the MCA, another BN component party, intervention from the president of BN would be evident.

However, as Palanivel had pointed out, this “invasion” into MIC affairs amounts to “grave injustice”. “Barisan Nasional should respect the vonstitution of MIC and not invade into the administration of MIC as proposed,” Palanivel is quoted as saying.

Palanivel had accused his challenger of working hand-in-hand with external parties to oust him as party president.

Without strong resistance from Palanivel, MIC would have set a dangerous precedent for more intervention from the external parties in the future.

In the past, when former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad was challenged by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno did not allow any political parties within BN to interfere.

Any intervention on the part of either MCA or MIC would have been given the strong rebut that Palanivel is currently putting together. However, from the BN’s perspective, Palanivel and MIC are currently in turmoil, and unable to run its own affairs; therefore, the big boys would have to intervene.

Who wins, who loses?

It will be interesting to watch how either faction within MIC would try to gain victory in the next few months. Would Palanivel be able to continue running as the president of MIC, given that from past experience, when the BN chairperson intervenes, the chances of his survival within his own party is doubtful?

Even if Palanivel survives the crisis, it remains to be seen whether he is able to sustain himself for long since the ‘big brother’ has already shown that Palanivel was unable to control the situation.

Najib’s decision to set up the secretariat is therefore an irony given that Najib’s own party has gone through numerous crises but had been unwilling to allow outside intervention.

This is why Palanivel had described the BN secretariat as “indeed very disturbing”, given that MIC is a party with a constitution of its own.  It has the right to run its own internal affairs the way the party feels is right.

On the other hand, should Dr Subramaniam win, Palanivel’s faction would see that as the result of influence “outside” the party. They, too, would not welcome the new party president, and worse, may boycott him.

Whatever the outcome is, the BN chairperson should not intervene in the affairs of MIC especially without first consulting its party president; and instead allow them to have a free hand to solve their own problems.


STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.