Will Subra have his day at the top?

For two decades, the MIC top echelon was divided between two camps - 'all the president's men' in one corner and S Subramaniam in the other.

Despite the might and influence he wielded, MIC's chieftain S Samy Vellu simply could not erase his estranged deputy.

He threw him into cold storage, dropped him from the election line-up, closed the branches aligned to him and even used the media to vilify him but Subramaniam refused to disappear.

In 2006, Samy Vellu thought he had finally vanquished his nemesis when the candidate he endorsed G Palanivel defeated Subramaniam for the number two slot.

But little did the MIC president realise what was in store for him and his party two years down the road.

In March 2008, an electoral tsunami of epic proportions struck the coast of Barisan Nasional. Samy Vellu and his top lieutenants, save for his secretary-general, drowned.

In the run-up to that historical elections, it was widely speculated that MIC would give a seat to Subramaniam. The grapevine had it that even Putrajaya was pushing for this.

But Samy Vellu had refused to budge.

True-blue BN loyalist

Then it was rumoured that Subramaniam had talks with opposition stalwart Anwar Ibrahim and was being induced to contest under the PKR banner.

Some of the former deputy minister's supporters had favoured this, saying that Subramaniam could become the opposition's topmost Indian figure.

However, Subramaniam decided otherwise, stressing that he would always remain a true-blue BN loyalist.

After the last general election, the 65-year-old politician witnessed a reversal of fortunes while the stars of his adversaries dimmed drastically.

In the aftermath, he agreed to a truce with Samy Vellu in order to rebuild the party, a move which irked some of his close supporters.

They had always wanted him to go for broke and take on the president in a 'do or die' battle or opt to join the opposition.

Currently, Subramaniam is also said to be in close contact with the president's son Vell Paari, who is also vying for a top position in the MIC polls slated for September.

Will he make it?

The question now is whether Subramaniam would be able to re-clinch the deputy presidency and finally realise his dream of becoming president.

Malaysiakini spoke to some party members and supporters, who believe that the articulate politician is the best candidate for the job.

"Just like Samy Vellu, Subramaniam is an iconic figure in the party as well as in the Indian community. Everyone knows him. He is one of the most recognisable Indian politicians.

"There is also a lot of respect for the man. During his protracted political career, he has never been accused of any misdeeds or wrongdoings in discharging his duties," they said.

According to one of his supporters, MIC needs a strong politician like Subramaniam, at least for the interim stage, to reunite the different factions and win back the Indian community's support.

Since the emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force which gave birth to the well-known Makkal Sakthi movement, MIC has been dealt a lethal blow.

Now that the Hindraf leaders have been released from detention and the possibility of a new Indian party being formed is on the cards, the future of MIC appears bleak.

It's a tall order

Commenting on this, one MIC member and Subramaniam supporter said: "It is a tall order indeed for MIC to regain its former glory."

"Some feel that it can never be achieved, that the Indians have turned their backs on the party for good. But we cannot sit back and watch this party fade into oblivion.

"We need a strong leader, we need someone who is popular to set the house in order before handing it over to someone younger. The party needs someone like Subramaniam, a seasoned veteran who knows the ins and outs of politics," he added.

Furthermore, he said Subramaniam shared a good rapport with all BN leaders, including the newly-minted premier, and this would prove to be an added advantage.

"BN, especially Umno, under the new leadership wants a fresh start. It is an open secret that they are applying pressure on Samy Vellu to step down. And if that happens, there is going to be a huge vacuum. Imagine, the president of 30 years leaving," he said.

"Umno should know this, it suffered the same fate when Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) took over from (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad). The shoes were simply too big to fill.

"MIC is already weak, so we need someone like Subramaniam to fill the top slot until things get a little better for the party," he added.

Let it be an open contest

As for the 2006 party elections, the MIC member stressed that "the only reason Subramaniam lost was because Palanivel was backed by Samy Vellu."

"Otherwise, he would have surely won. Subramaniam was not contesting against Palanivel but rather Samy Vellu," he stressed.

In view of this, he said the president should not interfere in the coming elections and allow an open fight.

"Samy Vellu should let democracy prevail. The party is already on the verge of collapse. If the president is truly committed to wanting to rebuild the party, then he should stay out.

"If there is an open contest, I am certain Subramaniam can win even if (secretary-general) Dr Subramaniam and (vice-president S) Sothinathan contest," he said.

Contacted later, Subramaniam - who revealed his decision to contest for the number two slot on Saturday - declined to comment further saying that it is too early to do so as the rest have not announced their candidacies.