WILL SOTHINATHAN BE THE NEXT MIC PRESIDENT? - MALAYSIAKINI

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 — A significant number of Malaysians reading this article were not even born when Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu became the president of MIC.

He took over in 1979 on the death of Tan Sri V. Manikavasagam and has stayed on since through many ups and downs, reinventing himself and the MIC several times along the way.

But he faces his greatest challenge now after Indians, mostly working-class Tamils, abandoned the MIC in large numbers during the March 8 general election and voted for the opposition.

The revolt was so extensive that many Indians even overcame their fear of Islam and voted for Pas.

With the political landscape so radically changed, Samy Vellu faces three major challenges now:

First, is how well he can win back a good number of the Indians back to the MIC and by extension to the Barisan Nasional.

Second is to reorganise the MIC into a truly mass-based grassroots organisation, as it was in 1970s and early 80s, and find a successor to hand over power at an "appropriate" time.

Third is Samy Vellu's desire to erase the humiliating defeat he suffered in Sungei Siput and exit the political stage as a winner so he will be remembered as a hero.

Samy Vellu is not sparing time, resources and money to meet and overcome all three challenges.

He has become intensely focused since March 8 on how to erase that defeat, re-brand the MIC and exit honourably, party insiders said.

If necessary, he has told his close confidants he wants to stand again in Sungei Siput and win to erase the humiliating defeat.

"If anything this is what Datuk Seri (Samy Vellu) really desires… to consolidate, win and hand over and walk out as a winner," a senior MIC leader close to Samy Vellu told The Malaysian Insider on condition of anonymity.

"He has told his inner circle that if he achieves this he will die happy," the MIC leader said.

In comments made on Deepavali day, Samy Vellu revealed some of his inner thoughts when he said he had "fixed" the time to transfer power but still wants to contest as president in March 2009.

"I will also go. I have fixed the time already," he said, rejecting criticism he was hanging on compared to other BN component party leaders who are handing over to their successors after seeing the writing on the wall.

Next March about 3,600 MIC branches will elect a president and up to now there is no challenger in sight for Samy Vellu.

One reason why challenging Samy Vellu is futile is because a challenger needs at least 300 MIC branches to endorse his challenge to qualify to contest.

He has the added weight as an incumbent to use "carrot or stick" methods available to him to ensure he gets the nominations and challengers are denied the same nominations.

Another reason is that he has successfully duped long-time rival Datuk S. Subramaniam into believing that he stands a chance of inheriting the party if he plays along and does not whip up a storm among the party grassroots.

The only other possible challenger is his current No. 2 Datuk G. Palanivel who appears to have lost steam after his defeat in the March polls.

Samy Vellu privately accused Palanivel of stirring up some anti-Samy Vellu sentiments soon after the polls but the initial stirrings have not taken off and become a broad based movement to oust the veteran.

While the ground is ripe for a revolt against Samy Vellu, there is no leader brave enough to lead such a movement.

"The grassroots are crying for a rebel leader but none dare to wear that hat," said a MIC Selangor division leader.

Samy Vellu is also not waiting for a rebellion to develop.

Since the polls, he has been striding forward with his re-branding of the MIC by holding numerous forums and "re-thinking" sessions with party branch and divisional leaders.

The yields from the "re-branding" are uncertain but a lot of time and money is being invested in giving the MIC a new oomph!

By June 2009 Samy Vellu has to anoint, select and finally have "elected" a successor and the field is wide open with incumbent Palanivel expected to defend his post and with Subramaniam, vice-president Datuk S. Sothinathan and outsider Datuk M. Muthupalaniappan making it a four-cornered fight.

Samy Vellu has repeatedly said he would not interfere but would accept as deputy anybody elected by the delegates, a promise few MIC delegates are willing to take at face value.

The talk is Samy Vellu is expected to back Sothinathan, largely because he had handled Samy Vellu's and the party's finances before being co-opted into the party hierarchy in the early 1990s as a counterweight to Palanivel.

"Sothi has inside knowledge… he is family," party insiders said. "The other possible successor is one way or other too sullied for associating with Samy Vellu's opponents."

At stake is also an estimated RM800 million in assets — cash, buildings, businesses, colleges and universities — that are variously owned by the MIC or held in trust, the party insiders said.

Unlike his BN colleagues, handing over of power for Samy Vellu is more complicated with the line between personal, family, party and public all criss-crossing and unclear and near impossible to unravel.

"Samy Vellu is looking for continuity, stability and a personal victory before exiting," MIC insiders said. "That means he would stay at least until 2013 before finally bowing out, if at all!