Palanivel losing grip on MIC?
It is surely a sign of trouble when all the president’s men fail to line up to show support for their president.
G Lavendran, FMT
Last Friday, MIC strategy director S Vell Paari blew his top. He was fed up with the way the party was being run and how the largest Indian-based party in the country was moving at a snail’s pace despite the looming general election.
The son of former president S Samy Vellu was also frustrated that the party was on the defensive mode most of the time, not speaking up on issues and unable to come out with blazing guns when Indians were criticised.
Instead of using the conventional method of addressing the issue, Vell Paari wrote an open letter to party chief G Palanivel expressing his dismay over how the party was run.
He wanted Palanivel to complain about academician Redzuan Tee Abdullah and Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali – both of whom made disparaging remarks about Indians in public – to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
Vell Paari just wanted MIC to be more vocal, and be seen to be doing good for the Malaysian Indian community as a whole.
Following the scathing open letter, FMT tried to obtain the party’s central working committee (CWC) members to comment on Vell Paari’s letter. The party has 23 elected and nine appointed CWC members.
It was surprising to note that many of those in the CWC, including those aligned to Palanivel, declined to comment.
Two CWC members, who are known to be Palanivel’s hardcore supporters, claimed that they never read the open letter in the first place. Another wanted to read the letter first and then comment later. But that was some 48 hours ago!
Two veteran leaders also aligned to Palanivel, meanwhile, said they would need a day or two to comment.
“I have to see how the other leaders react… I do not want to shoot when it is not my problem,” said one of the leaders who declined to be named.
