KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 – Rival factions of the fledgling Makkal Sakti party, which was just launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Oct 10, will go toe-to-toe tomorrow at the party’s headquarters in Shah Alam.
But before that, the rival factions are battling to get control of the symbols of power – the party’s files, membership application forms, keys to the office and the right to use the Makkal Sakti name.
Both factions are expected to bring their “supporters” to get physical, if necessary, to get control of the paraphernalia of political office at the meeting of its 27-member central committee.
Their squabbles are a major embarrassment to Najib, who had hoped the new party would be able to win over support of the Tamil working class that largely backed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties in the 2008 general election.
The MIC, which was worried a major contender had arrived to compete for Tamil support, is delighted that the incipient party is bogged down so quickly by a power struggle.
The CC meeting was called by secretary general K. Kannan over the objections of President R.S. Thanenthiran (picture), who had ordered Kannan to postpone the meeting to sometime in January 2010.
Thanenthiran had ordered Kannan to postpone two earlier CC meetings requested by deputy president A. Vathemurthy, on the grounds that some CC members were not free and Kannan had complied.
But this time Kannan has rejected Thanenthiran’s request to postpone Saturday’s meeting.
“I have read our constitution thoroughly and consulted lawyers and believe I am are legally and constitutionally right to call for the meeting,” Kannan told The Malaysian Insider.
Vathemurthy’s faction had written in requesting for the CC meeting to either sack Thanenthiran as president or convene an emergency AGM and let delegates sack him.
Thanenthiran is anxious to postpone the meeting because, party sources said, he does not enjoy a majority in the CC.
Vathemurthy himself does not want to be president but is anxious to hand over the presidency to others whom he says are more qualified than Thanenthiran.
He accuses Thanenthiran for hogging the limelight and the patronage coming the party’s way and accused him of being an “arrogant mini-Samy Vellu” riding roughshod over Vathemurthy and his supporters.
Thanenthiran denies the allegations and accuses Vathemurthy of trying to remove him and give the party presidency to “outsiders”.
Klang businessman Omms Thiagarajan is said to be the man behind Vathemurthy and who is ambitious to become president of a party that is close to Najib. But he has denied he is manipulating Vathemurthy.
Rivals factions have lodged police reports claiming they are “legally and constitutionally” in the right to hold the CC meeting.
Thanenthiran says the upcoming meeting is illegal because he had not sanctioned it and has asked police for help to stop any meeting.
Likewise, Vathemurthy has asked police for help to hold the meeting.
Police will have a tough time keeping the peace, especially if things get physical and supporters try to break into the headquarters, seize files and hold a CC meeting.
No matter which faction emerges winner, the party’s reputation is in tatters and its future blighted, leaving its promoter Najib red in the face.
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