Rumblings of rebellion in MIC Youth may spoil Palanivel’s party

MALACCA: MIC president Datuk Seri G Palanivel must be heaving a huge sigh of relief with the new line-up of vice-presidents and central working committee (CWC) members voted in at the party’s annual general assembly on Nov 30.

After all, two of the vice-presidents and 17 of the 23 elected CWC members are believed to be the president’s men.

He has yet to appoint another seven CWC members, which will surely be his men, effectively putting decision-making control in his hands.

But Palanivel might not want to be overly jubilant just yet for he might have underestimated the power of the Youth wing in the party.

A party insider, who spoke to theantdaily on condition of anonymity, said the Youth wing is not going to keep quiet about its former leader Datuk T Mohan being ousted in his bid for the vice-presidency.

Mohan was one of eight candidates who vied for the vice-presidency in the election, which saw former vice-president Datuk S Sothinathan, incumbent Datuk M Saravanan and Johor Baru division chairman Datuk S Balakrishnan elected as the three vice-presidents.

The other candidates were Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk SK Devamany, former Youth chief Datuk SA Vigneswaran, MIC treasurer-general Datuk Jaspal Singh and Bukit Bintang division vice-chairman James Selvarajah.

The elections drew the ire of many delegates as a Tamil daily, regarded as Palanivel’s “mouthpiece”, had splashed photographs of Sothinathan, Jaspal, Vigneswaran and Balakrishnan as the president’s preferred choice of candidates a week before polling.

“It’s no longer fighting behind closed doors and presenting a united front to the public, it’s now outright war. The fight is now personal and public,” said the party insider.

This is also due to the fact that newly elected MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh is closely aligned to Mohan.

The party insider said MIC elections had always been determined by two factors, namely the party president and the caste-based system.

“This is the reason factions are created within the party. Sothinathan’s win is proof of this. Usually the whole contest will be determined by the combination of the above two factors,” he said.

Saravanan and Mohan are believed to be in Team B who are said to be aligned with former MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu and who also happens to command huge support within the party. Those aligned to Palanivel’s camp are said to be in Team A.

How will the election results affect party unity?

“Mohan’s loss is a major issue in the party, especially since he still exerts a strong influence on the Youth wing. With Saravanan being the only surviving lone ranger from the other camp in the vice-presidential list, this effectively wipes out the influence of Team B in the party.

“Going down to the grassroots level and fighting for Indian issues, such as temple demolitions and statelessness, was the Youth wing’s job, which was then led by Mohan. So the youth of the party were the ones upholding MIC’s public image of standing up for the Indians.

“Removing Mohan is a clear indication that the Youth wing may not work along with the party president. Unity in the party will be affected,” said the party insider.

He believes the latest results will push the Youth wing to test the boundaries of party solidarity.

“Even though Team B members will not be in the top echelons of the party, they can still cause mischief from outside and this will be seen as outright disloyalty to the president, which will further fracture unity within the party.

“Closing ranks does not seem likely unless the new Youth chief and his new team decide to make a U-turn and support the president. This seems highly unlikely as Mohan still wields considerable influence over the Youth wing,” he said.

He said that although there was disunity within the party in the past, it was handled internally while a united front was presented to the public.

“There will always be problems within the family, but we all have a common aim. We can fight with the party president when it comes to issues but we work towards a common aim. Now Team B will only have one agenda, that is, to transform the party which would include removing a few selected people.

“They will not present a united front anymore. The fight is now personal and public,” said the party insider.

In his keynote address at the MIC AGM on Dec 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak congratulated the MIC on transforming itself with more Indian professionals in the party.

Najib also stressed that unity within the MIC is an important factor.

But the problem with professional Indians is that they are no longer just prepared to be “yes men” of the president and are not afraid to speak up, even publicly, when they feel something is not right.

So will Najib’s united MIC be just a pipe dream?

Maybe Palanivel realised this and that is why, in his policy speech at the AGM, he said: “MIC is not just an Indian party. It is a party for all but they must be loyal to the general. That is very important.”