SHAH ALAM: Barely two months after its grand launch, the Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party appears to be heading towards its first major crisis.
Its central committee yesterday passed a motion of no confidence against party president R.S. Thanenthiran yesterday.
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Fifteen of the 27 central committee members were present at the meeting, which took place under a canopy in the car park in front of opposite the party headquarters in Worldwide Business Centre here yesterday morning.
Party secretary-general R. Kannan said the office locks had been changed and they could not enter the premises.
Three motions were tabled, debated and passed in the meeting chaired by deputy president A. Vathemoorthy, which lasted just over an hour.
The first was a no-confidence vote against party president R.S. Thanenthiran. It was passed after 14 members supported it. Only one voted against it.
| Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party central committee members, on finding the office locks changed (top), hold their meeting under a canopy in front of the party headquarters in Shah Alam yesterday. |
The second motion called on Thanenthiran to resign immediately as president and a new person, other than Vathemoorthy, be elected president.
If Thanenthiran fails to resign, do so, it called for an extraordinary general meeting of party members where a motion would be tabled for a vote will be out to remove the president and elect a new one.
The third motion was is to appoint Thanenthiran as party adviser in its think-tank as he had worked hard to form the party.
Vathemoorthy said he expected Thanenthiran to challenge the legality of today’s yesterday’s meeting but remained firm that they had it followed the party’s constitution.
Despite the current issues, he said the party was sympathetic to Barisan Nasional.
Kannan said the party, which had about 11,000 members, now, had been in talks with many people, including Hindraf leaders, in its search for a new leader.
“We have spoken to Hindraf chairman P. Waythamoorthy, K. Vasantha Kumar and also V. Ganabatirau. But they have decided to adopted a wait-and-see approach.”
He said businessmen O.M.S. Thiagarajan and Datuk Kenneth Eswaran were also possible candidates.
Among the allegations levelled against Thanenthiran is that he had caused the party to split into two factions, and that he had not been transparent and accountable in his financial dealings.
Other allegations are that he had engaged in cronyism and nepotism, and was inefficient and directionless in the management of the party.
Thanenthiran, who could not be contacted and did not reply to messages, had previously said he was calling off the meeting and that the office building would be locked.
He had said that the last meeting was held on Nov 1 and there was no urgency in having another meeting.
Thanenthiran reiterated that there was a conspiracy to topple him but declined to name the instigator.
Vathemoorthy said: “There are no hidden hands here. We just want to move ahead here and work for the community.”
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Despite locked doors, ultimatum issued for Makkal Sakti chief to quit
No entry... Secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy and CC member lawyer Takurdas Naraindas with deputy president A Vathemurthy (in the background) of Makkal Sakti, in a fix as they found out today their keys don't open the front door of the party's office in Shah Alam - Picture by Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — The central committee of the three-month-old Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party today gave notice to its president R.S. Thanenthiran to resign gracefully or face expulsion.
Fifteen of the 27-members of the committee were locked out of the party’s head office in Shah Alam but met under a makeshift tent outside and resolved to remove Thanenthiran because of his incompetence and failure to provide leadership, among other reasons.
Led by deputy president A Vathemurthy they also passed a vote of no confidence against the president.
The meeting also proved that the majority of CC members i.e. 56 per cent were behind Vathemurthy although Thanenthiran had claimed he had a majority.
If Thanenthiran refuses to resign in good time, the committee resolved, to convene an EGM within 90 days to remove Thanenthiran and install another person as president.
Vathemurthy also announced that he was not keen to be president but will support any other person other than Thanenthiran as president.
“The party needs to move ahead and take the next major step forward…I am not the man to lead the party to the next level,” he told the CC members.
The meeting was conducted in an orderly and democratic manner by CC lawyer Thakurdas Naraindas, who is also a CC member. Reporters and other observers were allowed to observe the meeting.
“We have nothing to hide,” said secretary general Kannan Ramasamy.
Earlier he and other leaders tried to enter the office but failed.
“They have changed the lock,” Kannan said.
“We will not break into our own office,” he said.
Thanenthiran could not be contacted but a CC member supporting him said their side will not accept the meeting today as valid.
“We reject their meeting and the decisions they made,” the supporter said. “We will carry on as usual without them. We might even expel all of them for tarnishing the party’s image.”
With Thanenthiran unwilling to comply, it appears the party is headed for a long drawn court battle defeating the purpose for which it was set up in the first place.
Police watched the proceedings from a distance and none of Thanenthiran’s supporters appeared to stop the meeting from proceeding.
The party was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Oct 10 in the hope that it could win over working class Tamils who had voted for the Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general election.
Kannan, as secretary general, had already “taken possession” of the party’s files, membership application forms and keys to the office but sometime late last night someone had changed the locks preventing them from entering the office.
The upcoming battle between the two factions is for the right to use the phrase Makkal Sakthi which was PR’s rallying cry in 2008.
The breakup of the party is a major embarrassment for Najib.
The MIC, which was worried a major contender had arrived for Tamil working class support, is delighted with the imminent break-up.
The CC meeting today was called by Kannan over the objections of Thanenthiran who had ordered Kannan to “postponement” it to January.********
Leadership dispute in Makkal Sakti
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19 — The new Indian-based Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party was meant to be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s answer to MIC, whose unpopular chief Datuk Seri Samy Vellu is staying put.
But the splinter group which arose from the banned Indian rights movement Hindraf is now in trouble itself.
A rival faction is keen to oust Makkal Sakti chief R.S. Thanenthiran just two months after it was launched.
A central committee meeting is being planned today to move a motion of no confidence against him.
His critics say he rules with an iron fist and likened him to Samy Vellu, who is seen as a liability to the MIC after he lost his long-held seat in last year’s general election.
Among the complaints levelled against Thanenthiran: he makes decisions without consulting other leaders, and spends lavishly. There are also claims of cronyism and nepotism.
“He wants to be another Samy Vellu. People still believe in Makkal Sakti, but if we don’t do anything, we will end up like MIC,” party secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy told The Straits Times.
Kannan said that among the potential candidates to replace Thanenthiran are party deputy A. Vathemurthy and businessman O.M.S. Thiagarajan.
In a statement, Thanenthiran said the planned motion was unconstitutional as it did not comply with the party constitution.
But Kannan said the meeting would be held according to proper procedures.
Najib is banking on Makkal Sakti to win over the Indian working class, political sources say.
It is seen as an alternative within the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to cater to Indians who do not favour the MIC or the opposition.
The trouble in Makkal Sakti underscores a bigger problem faced by Indian voters.
They are split many ways, with at least seven major parties representing a community that makes up only 8 per cent of Malaysia’s population of 28 million.
A month prior to Makkal Sakti’s formation, some activists formed the Malaysian Indian Democratic Action Front.
There is also a Malaysian Indian United Party set up by businessman S. Nallakaruppan, a one-time ally of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
And then there are the pro-Barisan Nasional parties — People’s Progressive Party and Indian Progressive Front.
In July, Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar, who led a huge anti-government rally in November 2007, set up the Human Rights Party to focus on Indian grouses.
The MIC was previously the main party for Indian voters, and has been led by Samy Vellu for 30 years. But it has been much weakened after failing to woo back Indian voters.
Analysts note that the large number of Indian-based parties could affect their power to negotiate, which would be a setback for a community which has long felt marginalised in areas such as the economy and education.
Makkal Sakti’s split could also potentially have an impact on Najib’s leadership, said P. Sivamurugan, an analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia.
“The dilemma is whether this party will remain loyal to BN and to what extent it will be able to win back Indian voters who are still divided,” he told The Straits Times.
He said it would be better for Najib to reconcile support from Makkal Sakti until the MIC can regain the confidence of Indians.
“Time is still with Najib because Pakatan Rakyat has yet to show any improvement in uplifting the Indians.
“He should focus on those who are below the poverty line,” said Sivamurugan. — The Straits Times
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