Is he whispering his choice for MIC No. 2 to the new boss? Datuk Seri Samy Vellu chatting up Datuk Seri Najib Razak in this file pic. - Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — On any given night in restaurants and community halls around the country, the growing intensity of the MIC election campaign is being felt as delegates are feted with food, drinks and the inevitable mudslinging by candidates on the stump.
The MIC election may be in September but the campaign for top posts is already in full swing with contenders giving dinner talks with endless promises pledged, some muckraking and, in the tradition of the party, the inevitable singing of popular Tamil tunes.
Contenders have been barnstorming across the country with a list containing the names of the 1,400 delegates who will cast their votes in the party polls.
Deputy president aspirant and Human Resources Minister Datuk S.Subramaniam. - Bernama pic
At these dinners, candidates make their cameos with the usual campaign speeches.
But while punctuated by the jokes, songs and pledges for the community are the backstabbing, smears and personal attacks which have made this a particularly negative campaign.
“The campaign consists of endless rounds of dinners, dinners and backstabbing,” said a Selangor division chairman.
“It starts with the text messages in the morning, followed by leaflets and other campaign materials stuffed into the postboxes and this is followed by dinners and late-night suppers washed down with drinks.”
“Some people are keeping score on which delegate attends which dinner and which dinners the delegates skip,” another division chairman said.
“The contenders are trying to figure out who will vote for whom by keeping tally of dinner attendances,” he said. “It is really a free-for-all.”
Something new in the MIC – websites and blogs that praise some contenders and attack their rivals have also cropped up.
One recently ran down deputy president contender Datuk S. Sothinathan, referring to him as sothi, a bland Indian side dish, implying he was too timid.
Despite courtroom distractions, the president's son Vel Paari is likely to run for vice-president. - Picture by Jack Ooi
The blog also attacked party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu over the failure of Maika Holdings but did not finger incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
According to the writer, if delegates elect sothi or sambar it would be the end of the MIC.
Palanivel, the incumbent, has not officially announced his candidacy but he is actively campaigning across the country.
A fourth contestant, Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan, who announced his intention nine months ago, is expected to pull out and contest a vice-president’s post.
Palanivel has an advantage in that as an incumbent, he has the backing of the MIC machinery, and enjoys “semi-official” status as the candidate indirectly supported by Samy Vellu.
On the stump, Sothinathan is stressing his long association with Samy Vellu to pull in the crowds and convince the delegates.
“He is saying he is young and energetic and able to work with Samy Vellu unlike the others who are over 60,” a delegate said.
“He also stresses that he is able to make demands for the Indian community unlike others who are rather tame,” the delegate said, adding Sothinathan gives as example his suspension from Parliament for raising the Indian medical students' issue.
Subramanian on the other hand is campaigning on his long experience as an asset for the party and is explaining how he tried to save Maika Holdings but was rebuffed.
He also explains why he joined forces with Samy Vellu in the wake of the March 8, 2008 general election.
“It was to revive the party not to save Samy Vellu,” he told the delegates at one campaign stop.
Subramanian says if elected he can unite the party, will re-admit all expelled MIC members and revive the party's fortunes.
Samy Vellu, who initially said he would not interfere in the election, later openly supported Palanivel.
But lately, the party president has been saying again that he is neutral.
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