CoFfEE witH PUNithAN

I HOPE THE WORD 'CHOOSEN ONE' HERE BRINGS A DIFFERENT MEANING ( not just chosen by the president and MICans).......... But THE CHOSEN ONE TO LEAD MIC TOWARDS A NEW ERA FOR THE SAKE OF THE COMMUNITY AND NATION.....

This is the question on the minds of many in the party, including grassroot leaders, who are eager to know who will receive Samy Vellu’s blessings for the number two post at the MIC elections.

Developments in the country’s largest Indian-based political party indicate that Sothinathan, fondly referred to as Sothi, is favoured by Samy Vellu, who still has an iron grip on MIC grassroots.

Sothinathan, for one, has been appointed chairman of Yayasan Strategik Sosial, the social arm and think tank of MIC — a post given only to someone who is in the good books of the president.

He has also been asked to helm the party’s rebranding exercise, a move crucial for the MIC to win back the support of the Malaysian Indian community, who had turned against the party in the March 2008 general election.

And the former deputy minister is also taking full advantage of this to widen his grassroots support base.

However, until now the 72-year-old Samy Vellu has neither announced nor indicated whom he would back as his deputy at the MIC elections.

I know Sothinathan is viewed by many in the party as the president's candidate for deputy president. The speculation is true. But I believe that the president will not endorse anyone long before the party's elections.

"The president will only, if he is naming anyone to be his preferred deputy, do it two or three weeks before the ballots are cast. He will not name any of them yet as I feel he is still evaluating them," said former MIC central working committee member Datuk V.K.K. Teagarajan, who is also former Federal Territory MIC chief.

Teagarajan, who announced his intention last week to contest the deputy presidency, however, feels that Samy Vellu should let democracy flourish in the party by not naming his preferred candidates for any of the posts.

Sothinathan, when contacted by Bernama, declined comment on the speculation, saying he had his work cut out for him and he was concentrating on the rebranding exercise for now.

“No, I do not want to comment on that. The first phase of the rebranding exercise is coming to an end and will be completed by end of December and then we will embark on the second phase from January onward.

“But next year, being an election year for MIC, we have to work and at the same time, ensure the elections are run properly,” he said.

Sothinathan, a double degree holder in economics and law, became a household name among Malaysian Indians when he was suspended from his duties as Natural Resources and Environment deputy minister after he broke ranks with the government over the decision to withdraw recognition of the Crimea State Medical University, where many Malaysian Indians students were pursuing medicine.

The 48-year-old, who is also Samy Vellu’s former political secretary, won the Teluk Kemang parliamentary seat in a by-election in June 2000.

He was appointed MIC secretary-general in September the same year and elected vice-president at party elections in 2006.

In the last general election he lost the Teluk Kemang seat — which he won with a 17,777-vote majority in the 2004 polls — by 2,804 votes to a Parti Keadilan Rakyat candidate.

Sothinathan had served in two ministries — as the Health Ministry’s parliamentary secretary (2000-2004) and Natural Resources and Environment deputy minister (2004-2008).

Critics, however, claim that despite these credentials, the Port Dickson-born Sothinathan may have several drawbacks.

A party insider, who declined to be named for fear of political repercussions, said while Sothinathan had age on his side, his temperament could be a downside.

Sothinathan is not expected to have an easy ride en route to the party’s second highest post as he would have to take on incumbent deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.

Others expected to enter the fray include former deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam, if he chooses not to contest the presidency, and Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, whom party sources reveal will not throw down the gauntlet without endorsement from Samy Vellu.

On another front, party insiders say, the relationship between Samy Vellu and Palanivel, which had “cooled off” for some time, has turned for the better as both leaders are said to have patched up their differences and are now more cordial to each other.

But how long this peace will work, or last, is another issue. In the meantime, the guessing game in the MIC continues. - Bernama