Experts: Time for drastic change
By B. Suresh Ram (NST)
KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC should rejuvenate itself by bringing in new leaders and not try to re-brand under the current leadership which lost at the general election last year, academicians said yesterday.
Universiti Putra Malaysia Faculty of Human Ecology senior lecturer Dr Sarjit Singh Darshan Gill said the party should allow younger leaders to helm it if it wanted to regain its former glory.
He said the time had come for the MIC to seriously think of its future as it was a senior component of the Barisan Nasional.
"To this end, the party should seriously look at a leadership change. I think the time is ripe for the MIC to think of a leadership succession plan."
| Dr Sarjit Singh Darshan Gill says the MIC has to seriously think of grooming the young |
Sarjit said a new leadership was necessary because the results of the last general election saw Indian voters rejecting the party.
"The MIC must seriously look at recruiting and grooming younger leaders. It must also give emphasis to democracy and listen to voices within the party," he said when commenting on the party elections tomorrow.
The polls will see the election of a deputy president, three vice-presidents and 23 members of the central working committee.
MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has issued a list of "official" candidates for all positions being contested while openly supporting his ally and incumbent deputy president, Datuk G. Palanivel.
His arch rival in the party and former deputy president of 27 years, Datuk S. Subramaniam, is making a last-ditch attempt to come back to power — and in future assume the president's post — by challenging Palanivel.
A third contestant, Datuk S. Sothinathan, is expected to make it difficult for either of his rivals to win by a large margin.
Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia's Social Science faculty believed that the time had come for the MIC to focus on bringing in new leaders.
He said this stemmed from the fact the Indian community had rejected the majority of the party's candidates in last year's general election.
"This must be looked at seriously by the party. For the BN to be strong, it must also have strong component parties."
Sivamurugan believed that the MIC would have a new lease on life if the leadership changed at the party polls this weekend.
| Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian says change is vital for support |
"I believe that if there is a change this weekend, the party will regain Indian support."
Prof Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak of Universiti Utara Malaysia's College of Law, Government and International Studies, who was more forthright, said the MIC must undergo a very drastic change to regain the support of Indians.
He said the party needed to be more democratic in its approach in choosing leaders "and not allow Samy Vellu to dictate who the leaders should be".
"He should let delegates decide on who should lead the party," he said, adding that it was essential that the party practised the essentials of democracy.
| Prof Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak says MIC has to be more democratic in approach |
