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MIC needs new leadership now

Prime Minster Najib Tun Razak has done a remarkable job by uplifting the hope of the Indian community in Malaysia. He had resolved many issues related to community successfully, for an example, the MAIKA fiasco.

Further by giving two ministerial positions in the new cabinet and creating various Indian related departments within government to resolve various problems face by this community is another remarkable achievement of our PM.

Then there is a big question which needs an urgent answer. What are the directions and measures that Malaysian Indian Congress [MIC] supposed embarked on to materialise the efforts of our PM?

The MIC is at a crossroad now. A great opportunity has been given to reinvent itself to cater to the needs of community. Before this, it used to be the champion of Indians causes. That was eroded significantly in past years.

The current leadership needs to be re-energised and re-invented to suit the current needs of this community.

The current leadership is not capable of fulfilling the expectations of this community. This because the problems within the party – the recent election; the appointment of a treasurer general who had been sentenced by the court and his subsequent resignation; the appointments of deputy sate chairmen which the chairmen themselves are unaware, and the most recently the allegation of fraud against recently elected vice president had tainted the credibility of the current leadership.
Therefore, the change of leadership is vital for the continuous support of this community to the BN led government.

Dr Subramaniam was picked the Health Minister in the new cabinet. That’s a great recognition and the trust that our PM had on him. It is a promotion given by the PM for the efforts that he has done as the Minster of Human Resources. This is so significant. This community needs a leader who has a good working relationship with the top brass of our government to make sure that the needs of the society is always transmitted to our PM.

It’s time for Subramaniam to step out from the shadow to take lead role to uplift the community further. If he does, then he has the backing of the Indian community, grassroots MIC supporters and even the immediate past president of MIC S Samy Vellu who had indicated publicly that he is unhappy with the way MIC has been managed recently especially the approaches of the current leadership.

With general Indian support swinging towards the BN-led government, the timing in the change of leadership in MIC is so crucial for its survival. Therefore the Central Working Committee of MIC which is the decision making body within the party must be courageous enough to listen and meet the aspirations of the grassroots view that the change is necessary.

In nutshell, the rise of new leadership within MIC is so decisive for its own endurance.

PS Rengasamy - The writer is chairman, Association of Legal and Policy Researcher

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