On June 4, while the sometimes surreal MIC nominations process was underway at the party headquarters, a real-life drama was unravelling at Ward 21 on the fourth floor of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

Indian Progressive Front (IPF) president MG Pandithan was being wheeled into the intensive care unit on the VIP floor. Weak and hardly able to breathe, he was admitted after a week of high fever and a check-up at the National Heart Institute.

"He was in bad shape. We thought he was a goner," said a loyal aide, his eyes brimming with tears.

Pandithan, 67, is still in hospital and although his condition has stabilised, his illness appears to be serious.

"There is water in his lungs and his immune system is low. We are all prepared for the worst," said an aide.

At the time of writing, his condition was said to be gradually improving.

Even as he lay in bed, Tamil newspapers aligned to incumbent deputy president S Subramaniam ( photo, left ) - who is challenged by vice-president G Palanivel ( photo, right )- were carrying front-page stories quoting Pandithan urging MIC president S Samy Vellu to resign, atone for his sins and hand over the reins to his deputy.

"We were giving the media his statements without telling them that Pandithan had been admitted to hospital. He instructed us to carry on the battle against Samy Vellu in his name," said the aide.

Caste-based politics

In polite circles Pandithan is described as leader of the minorities who make up the majority in the Indian community.

Pandithan himself is not shy about revealing his caste. In fact, he is proud of it and often says: "I am a dalit ...we are the oppressed and the suppressed in the MIC and the community."

(The first World Dalit Convention was held in Kuala Lumpur in October 1998. It was chaired by Pandithan, who was then president of the World Dalit Association and brought together dalit leaders from all over the world, including India's late bandit queen Phoolan Devi.)

Like it or not caste affiliation is a powerful force in the MIC and does play a significant part in the defeat or victory of candidates. Such affiliations are strong among minority groups.

Pandithan, aware of his power to influence individuals, started using a handphone to contact minority leaders in the MIC to back Subramaniam.

"He was campaigning from a hospital bed...that's how much he wants Samy Vellu defeated," the aide said.

One of those he contacted was Senator Wilson Sagamani, a minority leader and staunch supporter of both Samy Vellu and Palanivel.

"Wilson, we are brothers. We go back a long way. You must support Subra," Pandithan was quoted as saying.

Wilson's reply was classic: "Even if you cut me into two, one piece will say Samy Vellu and the other, Palanivel."

According to sources, Pandithan's efforts remain fruitless because most MIC delegates have made up their mind as to where they stand for the election on June 24.

Pandithan ridiculed

All this went on without Samy Vellu realising that one of his arch enemies was being admitted to hospital. Such are the vagaries of politics.

That day, Samy Vellu hit out at Pandithan, calling him "a longkang politician".

" IPF tak boleh pakai. IPF has fallen into the drain. Who is Pandithan? We have forgotten Pandithan," he said to laughter at the close of the nomination process.

"Pandithan's comments cannot change MIC's thinking. He should not interfere in the internal affairs of another party."

While Pandithan was helping to get votes for Subramaniam, the incumbent deputy president was trying to put distance between them.

The reason: upper caste MIC members would react badly if Subramaniam consorted with dalit Pandithan. Subramaniam would lose votes.

The same logic persuaded Samy Vellu's Tamil Nesan to report that, at a secret meeting in Johor, Subramaniam and gang had announced that, should Subramaniam win, he would bring IPF into the MIC and Pandithan would be the next president after Subramaniam.

The report enraged Subramaniam and probably caused him some votes in all the wrong places.

"This allegation is unfounded and baseless. This is a wild allegation and I have been asked by lawyers to send notice of court action (to the person). I will also refer the matter to the MIC central working executive council and the disciplinary board," he said.

"I will step up the tempo of my campaign and explain to delegates about the unfounded allegations being levelled at me openly and behind closed doors."

But, on nomination day, as Samy Vellu was raving at Pandithan, Subramaniam allegedly visited him in hospital and asked him to campaign among his people.

But first get better quickly, Subramaniam was said to have told Pandithan before leaving.

Drama at bedside

The Pandithan episode took another dramatic twist on Tuesday morning.

Just before leaving with Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on a six-day official visit to India, Samy Vellu found time to visit Pandithan at the hospital.

"It was a dramatic meeting of arch rivals. They had not seen one another for over a decade and there was Samy Vellu standing by Pandithan's bed," said a witness.

Samy Vellu had to suit up and wear a face mask before entering the room and looked like a zombie, the aide said.

There was embarrassment all round but politicians make for strange bedfellows.

Samy Vellu advised Pandithan to get better, suggested a transfer to a hospital in Madras and offered to foot the bill, another witness said, noting that they "were like old buddies once again".

Being a Class A political animal, Samy Vellu took the oppourtunity to tell Pandithan that there was no enmity between them.

"We could always get along, we never had problems. It is Subramaniam who has caused bad blood between us. Get better, watch your health," he said before leaving.

Another VIP visitor dropped by that evening with the same 'get well' message. It was Palanivel, also suited up and wearing a face mask.

Later, Pandithan's diehard supporters streamed in one by one. To each, he issued the same message: "If anything happens to me, don't lose heart. Save the party, carry on the struggle."

They must have left wondering if IPF will survive Pandithan or if it will collapse like a house of cards.

BARADAN KUPPUSAMY is a veteran Malaysian journalist. This is the fifth of a special series of articles on the forthcoming MIC elections.