MIC president Samy Vellu's nemesis MG Pandithan would not have hoped for much when he first asked the former to follow the steps of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in stepping down and letting others to take over.

However, prevailing political events in the country had given Pandithan some hope in achieving the unachievable just months ago.

No one can dispute that Samy Vellu was buoyed by his unprecedented ninth term as the president of his party. He was elected unopposed and he had always used the fact that the community wants him to continue to allay accusations of being power crazy.