KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 – The MIC appears headed down the MCA path with some party members opposed to Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu attempting now to call for an EGM
The purpose of the EGM, say the conveners who do not want to be identified as yet, is to pass a vote of no confidence against Samy Vellu and force him to resign in the same way that Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek had tried against MCA president Datuk Ong Tee Kiat, but with more conclusive results.
A senior MIC member said an EGM is one of the options they have decided on to “save” the 63-year-old party from the “clutches of Samy Vellu and his yes-men” team who dominate the all-powerful party central working committee.
He said the decision to convene an EGM was decided at a top level strategy meeting between MIC leaders, Indian NGOs and individuals who were concerned about the future of the party and Indian community.
“They came from different backgrounds but all were united in a mission to save the MIC from further destruction,” he said.
Samy Vellu has refused to retire despite pressure from Umno to quit immediately but MIC sources said he is ready to leave within a year or two once a “re-organisation” of the MIC is completed.
His critics say if the “re-organisation” is allowed to proceed it would see Samy Vellu controlling the party after his retirement through either a weak deputy president beholden to him like incumbent Datuk G. Palanivel or a more docile replacement within the next three years.
Under the re-organisation that is ongoing, new branches can be formed with just 60 members unlike the previous minimum of 100 members.
The changes allows the incumbent president to set up new branches with fewer members and restrict older branches from increasing their membership, thus always ensuring the majority of delegates at general assemblies are his supporters.
At the same time, Samy Vellu also announced on Saturday that he may dissolve inactive divisions and branches and others with “internal problems” – a move his critics claim is targetted at branches and divisions that had supported his arch rival Datuk S. Subramaniam in the deputy president’s contest last month.
The sources said branches which had backed another contestant, Datuk S. Sothinathan, are also targetted.
Together the two challengers had polled more votes then Palanivel in the deputy president’s contest last month, indicating Samy Vellu’s grip on the party had diminished considerably.
Samy Vellu said he would give ultimatums to about 50 divisions and 150 branches to shape up or ship out.
“If the situation remains unchanged, we will dissolve them. When I visit the branches, the chairmen can’t hide anything from me,” he boasted to reporters at the MIC’s Deepavali open house at the PWTC.
“With Umno pushing him and the Indians unhappy with the failure of Maika Holdings and lately his plans to take away MIED, Samy Vellu knows his days are numbered,” said one of his critics. “He has launched a “re-organisation” of the party to tighten his grip and control from outside after his retirement.”
Having an EGM is one option to defeat the “re-organisation” that Samy Vellu is undertaking before it is completed, the critics say, adding that dissolving branches means more people would be sacked from the MIC and head into the arms of the Pakatan Rakyat.
But getting 25 per cent of the 140 MIC divisions to request an EGM can be an uphill task as they would fear they might also be targetted under the “re-organisation” scheme.
Another option is for the CWC to call for one – an equally difficult task considering it is filled with Samy Vellu loyalists.
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