Ex-deputy president: MIC faces tall order

Retaining all its nine parliamentary and 19 state seats in this general election will be a tall order for MIC, said the party's former deputy president S Subramaniam.

In an interview with Malaysiakini yesterday, he said while the party will hold on to a majority of its seats, there is a possibility that some may fall due to the current political climate.

"The party may face great obstacles in several constituencies, but I think they will be able to retain a large majority of the seats.

"There are three or four seats where the fight is very bitter, most of them are in the north ... Penang, Kedah ... even in Selangor the contest is very stiff," he added.

However, he pointed out that in places where there are weaknesses in terms of Indian votes, these seats can still be salvaged with the votes from other races.

"This has always been Barisan Nasional's (BN) advantage and this is likely to happen again," he said.

Hindraf effect

Subramaniam also acknowledged that the sentiments generated by the Nov 25 rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) will definitely have an impact on this polls.

Since the rally, MIC and its veteran president S Samy Vellu have come under intense pressure to deliver the votes.

In the past, the Indian community has always been seen as a staunch supporter of the ruling coalition but now pundits are predicting a sharp swing.

In an attempt to counter this, MIC has introduced a bevy of new faces in its election line-up.

Asked if the list contained credible candidates capable of regaining lost ground, Subramaniam replied: "We have to wait and see."

"There are no outstanding candidates, I would rate them as mediocre. But after the elections, by their service, they might turn out to be credible or good candidates," he added.

Denial syndrome

Conceding that MIC is now facing problems, Subramaniam said some people however suffer from a "denial syndrome" and continue to say that nothing is wrong.

"But there are problems. This is not only said by me, but even the government also said there are problems which it will attend to," he added.

"The party is a good party. The question is, what is the dissatisfaction of the people towards the party? That has to be resolved, that has to be eliminated."

Asked if Samy Vellu is suffering from denial syndrome, Subramaniam, who was tickled by this, replied: "You have to check with him. I am not saying it."

"But some people continue to say that nothing is wrong, that is not true. The government has acknowledged some of the problems raised by the community. So all is not well."

To the suggestion that Hindraf managed to do more for the community in a short period compared to MIC, Subramaniam said the party has also contributed much over the decades.

"Hindraf has given an impetus or a sharp reawakening of the issues," he said.

Fragmented party

Subramaniam said while MIC continues to be a good platform, the party has become fragmented over the last two decades.

"Large chunks of people have been ostracised from the party," he noted. "Now you have Indians, not only in MIC, but there are Indians in IPF, PPP, Gerakan, DAP and PKR."

"I can name several hundreds who were originally MIC members or leaders at the branch level who have moved on to these parties," he added.

As for the reason behind this fragmentation, Subramaniam said one of the contributing factors is that those who oppose the leadership are expelled or suspended.

Asked if having a president for nearly 30 years is healthy for a political party, he replied: "There is no question that a three-decade leadership will see opposition building over the long period of time."

"Politics is dynamic and change has to accompany it or it will breed unhappiness, hatred, disappointment and disillusionment. This is natural," he said.

The former MIC deputy president also noted that democracy has its weaknesses and when power is concentrated in the hands of one person or a group, it can be abused.

Asked if Samy Vellu has abused these weakness, he said: "Sometimes if we get large numbers of Indians being made partyless, meaning their branch is closed, or if they are expelled or removed, this is not healthy."

"But the powers are there and the constitution provides for this. So it is a question of how you use it," he added.

Past presidents

To illustrate his point, Subramaniam cited the leadership traits of past MIC presidents V Manickavsagam and VT Sambanthan.

He said these leaders even accommodated those who had opposing views in order to ensure that the party remains united.

Citing Umno as another example, he said: "There have been people who fought the president but are brought back to the party and given important positions."

"A party has to be accommodative of not only those who agree with you, but also those who disagree with you. This is democracy, you must be able to accept this."

On whether Samy Vellu has overstayed his welcome, Subramaniam said: "Well if the people want to elect him, he would stay."

However, he refused to comment further on this, saying that it was inappropriate since the elections are here.

"I am still a MIC member. My heart and soul is with MIC and BN."

Recently, Samy Vellu announced that this 'may be' his last term. In the March 8 polls, the 71-year-old president will be defending his Sungai Siput parliamentary seat for the ninth time.

Ties between Subramaniam and the MIC president have been strained for years, culminating in the former's defeat for the number two post in the 2006 party elections to the Samy Vellu-endorsed candidate, G Palanivel.