The opinions and counter-opinions on S Samy Vellu's contribution to Indians have all been verbalised and documented countless times. What is certain by all Indians in this country is that Samy Vellu is a master politician and at the age of 71, is probably at the pinnacle of his political craftsmanship.

Samy Vellu's magnetism and exuberant personality dominates a room when he walks in. A true leader that has never been matched in MIC's 60-year history. No one has ever come close to this man's political maneuvering, his intricate moves of Western-style politics coupled with South Indian characterised dominance interspersed with high drama and emotions that only the leader of a Indian party with a strong Tamil presence should have to hold the party in a vice-like grip.

His subjects live partly in fear yet, like a true lord of his realm, Samy Vellu is able to sway his subjects to do his bidding and still hold him in awe.

Can Indians have the audacity to hope that a new leader will emerge, a leader that has the warmth and charisma to entice the educated middle class Indians to join the party. For as we leave the agricultural rural mindset of yesteryears and embrace our role as significant contributors to the economics of this country and the world at large, we must continue in our quest for education. The aforementioned category of Indians provide us hope and salvation as role models and to be the catalyst for Indians to grow and compete.

Samy Vellu's greatest contribution would be to entrust MIC's leadership to an individual with the intellectual capacity to adapt, change and create a tapestry of skills and knowledge to fully equip Indians to excel. To build an intricately-woven blueprint for the society where foresight and intellect would eventually overshadow emotions and drama, yet members remain together in a cohesive pattern in the decades to come.

In our quest for survival, we must look beyond Samy Vellu and search for excellence. We must have the audacity to hope that such a man (or woman) would guide us for it remains the responsibility of a leader to lead his people. Samy Vellu has one last mission to benefit us all before he retreats. Yet, this one last act of faith and courage will be his enduring legacy and his greatest triumph.

The tapestry must be spun and spun soon, as the economics of scale and globalisation overwhelm our horizons. I pray that Samy Vellu is listening to the cries for salvation, as tears well in our eyes at the sight of a six-year old Indian boy running around in a rural estate in the year 2007 without shoes, born to parents too poor to send him to pre-school. A boy that has yet to learn how to read or write and lives on one-and-a-half meals a day.

Yet this boy has a twinkle in his eye and a grin to melt hearts, for his dream is a dream of his tomorrow. Do we really have the audacity to hope?