MIC, the headless chicken

MIC's Palanivel is clueless on his and the party's direction, far more after their recent AGM.

COMMENT

We can safely call MIC as the headless chicken running around town aimlessly to anemic situation. That is in short the best descriptive image one could coin for the helpless and down-rotten political party that the Malaysian Indian community can have in ‘representing’ them.

As I have mentioned in my earlier writings, prior to their party polls, MIC has long lost its relevancy in the political arena in Malaysia.

They have practically not achieved any milestone in uplifting the socio-economic status of the deprived Indians. The Indians have scored distinctions in crime and fighting for all the wrong reasons.

We have a politically void in ideas president helming MIC that goes all the way to the government to demand an extra day of public holiday for Deepavali. Is he kidding himself and attempting to throw recycled baby pacifiers to the Indian community?

Palanivel could not and will never make the cut as a leader; what more as the president of a near defunct party. The recent MIC party polls under the captain-ship of Palanivel unearthed the rot under the carpet.

As aperitif, let us just dissect his policy speech that was made during MIC’s 67th general assembly in Malacca.

Boasting to be a 67-year-old party, both Palanivel and MIC in specific clearly lacked the wisdom in outlining their direction towards uplifting the Indians; not even in their very own eye.

He was practically begging Najib Tun Razak for extra money in order for MIC to carry out more projects. That in it self indicates the fact Najib never ever consulted Palanivel on how much should have been allocated for the Indians prior to formulating the 2014 budget.

So what was Palanivel doing all this while in the cabinet meetings? Looks like he never carried any weight in policy making.

Even his so-called status quo position in MIC today is pittance thrown by Najib to him; so for sure he has no muscle in getting an extra dime from Najib.

So all that whining in the presence of the 1,500 delegates was an act not worth a sen. He just needed to babble something looking mighty but in essence a fly could have ruffled more air in the ears of the Prime Minister.

Undeserving position

Palanivel never stood on his own per se. His current parliamentary seat was obtained due to the illiterate voters in Cameron Highlands, and even that constituency was in spirit snatched ungentlemanly from SK Devamany who was forced out to give way.

Ever since the exit of S Samy Vellu from MIC, Palanivel has never been challenged in the open.

Having been given the acting president’s position on a silver platter by Samy Vellu, Palanivel never had the confidence nor effrontery to confront his opposition camp within MIC itself.

Unblushingly he went further to negotiate his undeserving position with Dr S Subramaniam with Najib playing the middle agent’s role. How shameful for a president indeed.

In will go into the annals of MIC’s history that they harboured a president that was equivalent to a reserve player in a football team who never kicked a ball but claimed captain-ship all along.

The spectators know it, the teammates are furious and the community is disgusted.

What’s more irking is that in his address to the PM and delegates, he was vocal to say that he assured the party polls were transparent and free. Who was he fooling again?

News reports made headlines instantaneously after vote counting claiming that the polls were marred and flawed, and above all some delegates even had a field day collecting cash handouts prior to voting.

Irregularities are being reported on almost daily basis since the polls and yet Palanivel has gone into complete and unwarranted silence.

Though it will not be much of a significance even if he decides to talk, nevertheless it only confirms further the argument that he just does not fit the shoe of a leader, what more as the MIC president.

If he cannot even handle his own political party, then what is there to expect of him as an elected people’s representative in parliament.

MIC is just sheer lucky that their masters in Umno take pity on them and still let them tag along for that few Indian votes. Maybe it’s time the Indians might as well ask for the bumiputera status like the Portugese community did in Malacca.

Since their AGM was in Malacca, they could have learned a lesson or two from that community which is faring far better than many Indians in Malaysia.

Narinder Singh is a FMT team member.