The anointed candidate for the MIC deputy president post G Palanivel has decided to take up the challenge because he believes that the hour of change has come.

On June 24, in what is being described as a historic Sunday for MIC, he will face the veteran incumbent S Subramaniam in the party polls.

The president S Samy Vellu has openly declared support for his former press secretary and over the past few weeks, launched a blistering offensive against his estranged deputy.

In an interview with the Off The Edge magazine, Palanivel explains his decision to contest, criticises his opponent and praises the president.

Driven by change

The current vice-president and deputy minister said he was not mounting a challenge just for the sake of it or to simply unseat someone.

"I think the hour of change has come and the change is driving me to take up this challenge, pushing me into it.

"It's not a situation into which I have pushed myself, if I wanted to do that, I could have done it years ago. The rank-and-file of the party know that I have not been ambitious in clamouring for seats."

Palanivel also said by accepting the challenge, he was making a sacrifice in order to thrust MIC forward.

"I can be a very comfortable deputy minister or vice-president. I can retire like this. I don't lose anything. I am making this sacrifice, I am accepting the challenge being thrown at me..."

According to him, there's a 'very powerful' moral force in the party calling for change.

'Please carry me'

In an obvious reference to Subramaniam, he said anyone who sat in a post for a long time could become a drain on the job and party.

"Instead of you carrying the party, the party has to carry you. And you come up with an argument, a system, a policy where you want the party to carry you.

"You don't want to leave the party, you don't want to leave your post and you say 'please carry me'. I think this kind of policy is not right."

Palanivel said the 2006 elections will be an historic event for MIC because delegates are being given the chance to cast their votes for the deputy president post in a meaningful way.

He believes that the process will rejuvenate the Barisan Nasional component party.

"I am very interested in this process where we go around campaigning, talk sensibly, we're not washing dirty linen in public, not taking our campaign to the newspapers, not running each other down."

In another obvious reference to the incumbent deputy president, he said a person who stays in a post for a protracted period will lose touch with the needs of the people.

"The problem is when you are in a post for a very long time you may be less sensitive to the needs of the people. We should not have a situation where someone says, 'I am only defending my position'."

"You cannot go on forever defending your position and you should not say 'I want to defend my position' without a contest. In the case of Samy Vellu he has always said 'please challenge me'. He has allowed contest.

"But if then you say you cannot get nominations, then what's the problem? The problem is not Samy Vellu's or mine.

"Anyone who claims to be a political heavyweight should be able to get the minimum number of nominations to challenge for any post. You cannot say 'I have been in this party since the 1960s but I cannot get enough nominations'."

Palanivel also said there should not be the security of tenure in any party.

The moment there is security of tenure, it makes the person non-responsive, non-accountable, less sensitive and non-competent, he added.

All about teamwork

He said the contest for deputy presidency was good because it would make the person accountable to the people.

"You cannot say 'I want to be deputy president so that I can eventually become president'. That's a different contest. You want to become president? Then contest the president's post ..." he told Off The Edge .

Asked if the president's endorsement had compromised his standing or legitimacy in the coming elections, Palanivel replied: "I don't think so."

He said the people looked to the party president to name someone as his successor. "He (Samy Vellu) has done that, it is up to the delegates now to cast their votes."

Continuing his criticism against Subramaniam, he said the president needed a deputy who could perform.

"Politics is all about teamwork. It depends on the kind of value you can add on to the leadership. Leadership is not a one-man show. Samy Vellu is able to achieve great things because we all support him. If you have a deputy who supports your ideas and at the same time polishes, sharpens and criticises these ideas, it would be a good thing for the party.

"But if you have a non-performing deputy then the burden of leading the party falls on the president, vice-presidents and the central working committee. I believe that in this system every person should contribute and show his contribution. This cannot be done only during elections, you should show it everyday..."

Earlier on, Palanivel said he believes that Samy Vellu had chosen him because he was someone who could blend into the system and was a team player.

The vice-president added that he did not set up his own team or clique.

"I have not formed branches, not aligned myself then dis-aligned myself ... the whole party is my system."

By naming him, he said, Samy Vellu had ended the confusion and gave the party a sense of direction.

The politician who confessed to being low-profile was also not concerned about winning or losing. According to him, he was more interested in serving.

Samy unshakeable

Palanivel was also full of praise for the veteran party president, whom he described as a man with candour who emerged stronger after every crisis.

"Samy Vellu is a different cup of coffee and those who choose to challenge him are fools. He is unshakable.

"People can become famous for all the wrong reasons. A political accident can make a person famous. You challenge the president in the way Subramaniam has been doing, create a system to fight the president - you become famous.

"But Samy Vellu is a confrontational leader - he is a man of crisis. These two things have propelled him to the top. Every crisis makes him stronger...

"So the people who dislike him may be people who are not interested in politics, who don't serve the people but are just armchair critics."