MIC p resident S Samy Vellu has done far more for Indian Malaysians than all the past presidents put together and multiplied a hundred fold. I have personally seen how he provided all kinds and forms of assistance including deliciously-cooked food to all those who came to see him even at strange and unearthly hours.

He will scream, shout and scold but he has a ‘heart of gold’. He has helped countless throughout his political career and certainly many ungrateful ones too who today plot, plan, scheme, embarrass and maliciously hurt his image for their personal agenda.

Politically, even today, despite his age he still puts others ‘half his age’ to shame with his dedication, political walk-a-bouts and vision. But the truth is, times have changed and changed radically.

It is no more a directive top down hierarchy that works but a collective leadership steeped in accountability, good governance and transparency. Warlords and bullish methodologies do not work any longer.

The operative word is diplomacy which is never the manner things were done within the MIC, period. Today voters want leaders who are role models and not alleged to be drunkards, womanisers, pimps, thugs and all those corrupt and vulgar.

And the truth is if indeed MIC – the third-largest BN component party - is to survive the next general elections there must be holistic change. Yes, we can preach about training, leadership and management courses for division and branch leaders.

We can announce well-worded press releases with all kinds and manners of spins but all these are to no avail. Indeed, if the MIC had carried out its boast that it will be the first political party in the country to embrace a key performance indicator to gauge its leaders’ performance, this matter would have been long resolved!

The feedback on the ground is firm and direct. They want to see change, holistic change and they want to hear the party president announcing his decision to retire from politics and handing over the reins of power to his decent, staunch, dedicated and visionary deputy very soon.

The man he has himself endorsed. And it is time for the party president to take a bow. And it is time for your able, dedicated and visionary deputy president G Palanivel to take the lead in selecting new and fresh blood and preparing the party for the next general elections expected sooner rather than later.

It is time he is allowed to initiate a plan of action at the state and national levels. It is time he is allowed to weed out the sleepers and the inactive and replace them with a new formative and visionary team who will walk the political field to regain lost ground. This only is possible with a new face at the helm with a brand new performance tool of engagement at work.

The ‘rudiments of politics’ have changed from the last elections and continue to change daily and if we continue to pause and flounder it will be all over even before it starts.

I believe MIC Deputy President G Palanivel is the man to lead the MIC to regain lost ground and the lost Indian votes but time is of the essence and I sincerely pray he will be given that opportunity sooner rather than later. Failure is not an option for the MIC. More so by default.