What happens to MIC now? How can it revamp itself? What is SV’s next step?
Samy Vellu is still planning to hold on to presidency of MIC.
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has pledged to continue serving the Indian community in his capacity as MIC president.
Samy Vellu, who was defeated in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, said that he was not unhappy. He thanked the voters for giving him the opportunity to serve them since 1974. “All good things have to come to an end but there is always a new beginning.
In a statement yesterday, Samy Vellu said he would restructure and rebuild the party. “We accept the people’s verdict because they are the ones who matter.”
While the Star reported:
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, who crashed to a shock defeat in the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat, will continue as the MIC president and restructure and rebuild the party.
In a statement, he said he was not feeling unhappy but reminded the MIC members that they were in a very challenging period.”We have to move in the direction where the wind is blowing and we hope a day will come when the new wave will be with us,” he said.
Samy Vellu, who had been the Sungai Siput MP since 1974, lost to PKR’s Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj by 1,821 votes.
He thanked the people of Sungai Siput for supporting him in the last eight elections since 1974.”I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to serve this constituency and I believe I have done whatever possible to make the people of Sungai Siput happy.
“But times have changed and every good thing has to come to an end but there is always a new beginning,” he said.
According to MIBA chairman Sivakumar, the removal of top leaders of MIC signals a chance for making changes. He highlighted 3 factors for MIC’s loss – Hindraf, removal of dissenting voice in MIC like Dato’ Subra, and opposition manifesto which promised equality. Its time to rebrand MIC to attract new people and remove its negative image of violence and thuggery (full article below).
First step is to have a smooth sucession plan. Who will replace Samy Vellu? His is still bent on keeping his place and continuing to be “sole representative of the Indian community”. Logic dictates that one of three representatives who won – Dr Subra, Devamany or Saravanan should replace Samy Vellu, while the other two take up deputy/vice posts. From what I hear, Saravanan may not be a good choice, so left with the other two. I’m running a poll now to ask readers’ opinion.
However, the MIC leaders are still backing Samy Vellu if we read the NST. In the Star, Dr Subra was quoted as saying:
Subramaniam, the highest ranking MIC candidate to “survive” the 12 General Election, said that the party had expected two to three seats to fall and tough fights elsewhere.
“We never anticipated the sudden swing, not only among Indian but also Chinese voters.
Dr Subramaniam admitted that the party leadership would have to “do some soul searching” and the next four years would be a tough period for MIC.
“We will definitely have to work hard if we want to stay relevant,” he said.
According to analyst Ong Kian Ming in NST:
…The MIC, on the other hand, will have to rethink what it means to represent the Indians and how that fits into the BN framework. “But it will have to find someone to lead it first,” added Ong.
However, I suspect that MIC will fail to make any changes while still clinging on to legacy of Samy Vellu. For a revamp, they can study political parties in other countries and try emulate so of the good stuff being done. They must amend the MIC constitution to ensure that presidents don’t go on before certain terms, and to have more democracy in selecting candidates/nominees. They should also avoid nepotism.
MIC must embrace the IT age and move beyond papers and movies to attract the community. They must show that the leaders are smart and able to engage the community in high quality debates, and not resorting to threats or demeaning words. Arrogance and supremacist feelings must be removed.
The people are also fed up with so called ad-hoc?plans/agendas/strategies drawn by MIC but not respected nor implemented properly. Its kind of all talk, but less action. MIC should reset its short,mid,long term targets and achieve them within the next 5 years as proof that its rejuvenated. Prove it before putting up candidates in the next elections.
MIC must also clean up its closet. Many outstanding issues must be resolved so that the party can move on. MAIKA fiasco is one such problem.
MIC must also stop looking at itself as “sole guardian of the indian community”. It might end up like UMNO. It should start treating other Indian?associations and NGOs as equals and engage them in activities for the community. The “I know everything”, “I am correct” houlier-than-thou attitude creates more enmity against MIC.
One more things, make it a rule that all MIC members must enrol their primary school-going children in Tamil school. If not, don’t say MIC is fighting for Tamil schools. Let others fight for it.
MIC – A new era begins
RK Anand | Mar 10, 08 1:35am
http://malaysiakini.com/news
On March 8, MIC president S Samy Vellu turned 72. It was also the day the curtain fell on his political era. After nearly three decades in power, the politician who commanded a cult-like following in his party was defeated in the fortress where he reigned for nine terms.
It was a cleansing of MIC’s top echelon. The casualties included deputy president G Palanivel, vice-president S Sothinathan, Youth chief S A Vigneswaran and Women’s wing chief P Komala Devi. The party only managed to retain three out of nine parliamentary seats and six out of 19 state seats. The message was loud and clear.
According to Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P Sivakumar, this could signal the birth of a new era for MIC.
But firstly, he said, the party must conduct an in-depth analysis to determine the reasons behind its crushing defeat. “When you fall, you must pick yourself up and look at the reasons as to why you fell so that you do not fall again,” he told Malaysiakini yesterday.
Likening the damage inflicted on MIC to the destruction brought about by the Sept 11 terror attacks, he said it also served as a lesson for the younger generation of leaders.
The factors
Sivakumar said the first, and most important, factor which contributed to the devastation of MIC was the advent of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and the wave of discontent it created. On Nov 25 last year, some 30,000 disgruntled Indians took the streets to vent their frustration against the government and MIC, namely its president.
“These were not the voices of a few hundred, but tens of thousands of people. Many organisations also came out to help MIC and the government on this issue, but no immediate attention was given, except for some assurances,” he said. MIC – to the chagrin of the community – had also joined the government in condemning the Hindraf movement whose five key leaders are now held under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Another factor, Sivakumar said, was the silencing and removing of dissenting voices in MIC, including Samy Vellu’s former estranged deputy S Subramaniam. “Thousands of Subramaniam’s supporters were left in the lurch and they also expressed their anger in this polls,” he noted.
Thirdly, the Miba president pointed out that the manifestos of the opposition parties, which stressed on equality, were also well received by the Indians. “The Indian community is not questioning the special rights and the privileges accorded to the Malays, but just want their due rights and equal opportunities as citizens of this country,” he said.
The future
On the future of MIC, Sivakumar said the most important issue to address now was unity in the party. “MIC must look into the possibility of bringing those on the outside back into the fold in order to strengthen the party,” he added.
Asked if this included Subramaniam, he responded: “Why not? He has a large following and he was the longest serving deputy president.” Subramaniam, whose ties with Samy Vellu had been strained for years, was defeated in the 2006 party polls by Palanivel, who was endorsed by the president.
Meanwhile, Sivakumar also stressed on the importance of MIC to craft a new image for itself. “The party must break free from the image of violence and thuggery. It must become a party which is willing to accept constructive criticisms and feedback.
“A conducive environment must be created to attract the thousands of well-educated and talented Indians in the community who prefer to speak freely about issues,” he said. “We need a large number of dynamic young minds to chart the future course of the party. More bureaus must be set up to look into the critical issues facing the community instead of leaving it in the hands of one or two think-tanks,” he added.
Still relevant
Sivakumar also reminded MIC leaders that the younger generation of Indians are more aware of their rights. In view of this, he said the party must create a leadership which blends the experience of the veterans with the dynamism and talents of the young.
On that note, the Miba president also stressed that MIC was still a relevant political force in the country. “BN (Barisan Nasional) is still ruling the country, so MIC is still relevant. We must not forget that the founding fathers had entered into a social contract between MIC, Umno and MCA. MIC is still a good platform for the Indian community,” he said.
Sivakumar advised the younger leaders in MIC to pay heed to the valuable lessons from this tragic episode for the party. “Do not cull talents because of rivalry. MIC is a powerful party, talents must be nurtured and not expunged,” he said, adding that the ball was now in the president’s court. “This is a new beginning for MIC. Samy Vellu’s next step is crucial,” he stressed.
Agreeing with Sivakumar, a party observer said the younger leaders must also realise that they cannot afford to ignore the voice and sentiments of the people. “Samy Vellu had given the kiss of life to the political careers of the leaders in MIC and now he has taken it away. These leaders have learned, albeit bitterly, the true meaning of democracy,” he said. “From the ruins of yesterday, hopefully a new and more vibrant MIC will rise tomorrow. A party which the Indians will once again embrace,” he added.
???
MIC hopes to rebuild and move forward
By : V. Vasudevan
source
KUALA LUMPUR: The party leadership has been wiped out. So what’s next for the MIC?
The party which has over the last 50 years prided itself as being the custodian of the Indian community now faces an uncertain future.
President Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is out; deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel, two vice-presidents — Datuk S. Veerasingam and Datuk S. Sothinathan, Wanita chief Datin Paduka P. Komala Devi, and Youth chief S. Vigneswaran were also knocked out in the general election. Only party secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam won in Segamat, while Federal Territory chief Datuk S. Saravanan and central committee member S.K. Devamany won parliamentary seats. Saravanan won in Tapah, Perak while Devamany in Cameron Highlands, Pahang.
The party’s state candidates, too, were also shown the exit except in Johor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca. In Johor, M. Munusamy won in Permas, T. Murukasvary (Tenggaroh), R. Vidyanathan (Kahang), and M. Asojan (Gambir) while V. Mogan won in Jeram Padang, Negri Sembilan and R. Perumal in Asahan, Malacca.
Yesterday, defeated party leaders could not be reached while those who won were circumspect. Subramaniam, apart from stating that he would be meeting Samy Vellu today, declined to answer questions on the party’s future or how the party planned to fill its quota of positions in the federal government. While Subramaniam is seen by observers as a front-runner for a ministerial position, many do not rule out the possibility that the MIC may appoint Palanivel and Sothinathan as senators and get them appointed to government posts. “That is not new. It has been done in the past with former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam,” said a party insider. In the last government the MIC held six positions.
Many do not expect Samy Vellu to return to the cabinet via a senatorial appointment. “He has too much pride to opt for that course,” said an observer familiar with the MIC leader.
How will the party fare now?
Saravanan said the party would continue to offer its service to the community. “This time around, the Indians have elected for change but it does not mean it will be the same the next time around. We have to continue working for the community,” said Saravanan who is also the party’s information chief.
He said the party would rebuild in the next few days but cautioned detractors not to expect the party chief to be replaced. “We still need Datuk Samy and he will lead us,” he added. The party’s elections are due next year.