KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — In the time honoured tradition of pork barrel politics, MIC leaders and businessmen who previously worshipped former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy for over 30 years have turned their attention to his successor Datuk G. Palanivel.
At Palanivel’s 62nd birthday party celebrations yesterday, they extolled his virtues and showered him with praise, gifts, bouquets and flower garlands.
The birthday party was held in the Netaji Hall at the MIC headquarters and for several hours individuals lined up to garland the new man leading the MIC.
Leading the way was MIC deputy president and Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, Palanivel’s rival and leader of an anti-Palanivel cabal in the MIC.
But under pressure from Barisan Nasional chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the two rivals have buried their differences and are working together to deliver Najib’s promises to the Indian community.
An example is the Mydaftar programme to give stateless Indians birth certificates and identity cards, with the closing period extended until Sunday because of overwhelming response.
Noticeably missing, however, from last night’s celebration was Samy Vellu himself and another former rival, former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam — however his business ally K. P. Samy was present at the function with a white colour garland ready.
“I went as a party man to show respect to the president,” Samy said. “Over 600 garlands were given to Palanivel.”
Leading Tamil singer Raja Cholan sang “praise songs” for the birthday boy who beat many rivals in the MIC to rise to the top as party president ever since becoming a speech writer for Samy Vellu in the early 1980s while working as a reporter in Bernama.
Later he became press secretary, MP and rose up the party ladder, always helped by Samy Vellu, until as deputy president and president, both lost their seats in the 2008 general election.
Everybody who was somebody in the MIC attended the birthday bash in which Palanivel’s wife Datin Kanagam, also made an appearance cutting the birthday cake with Palanivel.
Over 1,000 mostly MIC members attended the birthday celebration in which Samy Vellu’s son Vel Paari, who is struggling to make a independent political career of his own, was a leading light, garlanding Palanivel with a huge red-coloured garland.
During Samy Vellu’s long career as MIC president, he rebuffed many attempts by Paari to ride on him and carve out a career for himself but after his father retired on Dec 6 last year, Paari has resumed his ambition and is banking on Palanivel to give him a lift.
Although Palanivel is politically weak and needs to strengthen his position to survive the challenge from Dr Subramaniam that is expected after the upcoming general election, he has several things going for him.
One is incumbency and the other is pork barrel politics. As party president he can dispense largesse such as directorships in GLCs, nominations to be candidates for the general election, senatorship and awards that he can distribute in return for political support.
Besides he is not from any of the dominant castes that control the MIC and thus is able to relate with all without angering any.
The birthday celebration comes as his relationship with his benefactor Samy Vellu appears strained as a result of the latter’s intention to maintain the old status-quo in the MIC and Palanivel’s desire to re-arrange the pecking order to fit his needs.
Palanivel has so far been very careful not to redesign the MIC preferring to tinker here and there to give some space for his supporters to gain a footing.
“He is careful not to anger Samy Vellu because the former president can get very jealous and Palanivel does not want his benefactor in a bad mood,” said a MIC insider.
The two are currently at loggerheads over the future of the MIED, the MIC education wing that owns AIMST University, estimated to be worth RM1 billion.
Palanivel wants MIED to be part of MIC always and controlled by MIC but MIED is now controlled by individuals — MIC leaders and outsiders — who are beholden to Samy Vellu and how they decide, when voting, would decide the future shape of the MIED and its links to the MIC.
An attempt by Samy Vellu to increase the MIED controlling membership has sparked a firestorm with allegations, denied by Samy Vellu, that he plans to hijack the MIED and AMIST University with it.
A MIED meeting, where Palanivel is also involved, and fixed for March 7 over the inclusion of new members who are all Samy Vellu diehards, could see a showdown between benefactor and successor.
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