The kingdom is on fire and there is a battle raging for the throne. This is a Tamil adage which best describes the conundrum in MIC.
It was once a thriving kingdom, replete with power and riches. It served as the route for Indian Malaysians, with brains or brawn, to become political titans and amass fortunes.
But this changed in 2008. The kingdom's knights and court officials suffered near obliteration while the king himself was dethroned after ruling for three decades.
Then a new king was installed amid much pomp and pageantry, with his loyal subjects hailing his ascension as a new dawn, where transparency and good governance would prevail.
But he too was unable to restore the kingdom's former glory.
On the contrary, the party fared even worse in the last general election under his stewardship, with the king himself scraping his elbows and knees in an uphill attempt to conquer Cameron Highlands, once considered a safe haven for MIC.
The party only won four of the nine parliament seats and five out of the 18 state seats it contested.
And whatever upward trend witnessed in the community's voting pattern for the ruling coalition was attributed to Prime Minister Najib Razak as opposed to MIC and its leaders.
The prime minister himself, on many occasions, had sidestepped MIC, opting to engage non-governmental organisations in tackling the issues affecting the community.
The community, which once held the party leaders in high esteem, now seem to hold them in utter contempt and consider them subjects of ridicule.
The poor still depend on them but to the more educated and middle-class Indians, MIC's continued presence or demise is irrelevant. This class of voters prefer a non-race based political platform taking shape in this nation.
Much at stake
However, MIC is still relevant to its leaders and members for there are government positions, perks, contracts, egos and much more at stake.
So the daggers have been unsheathed for the coming party polls, which could witness a heated presidential contest between the incumbent G Palanivel and his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam (left).
Speculation is rife that Dr Subramaniam has the blessings of the still influential former president S Samy Vellu and is being backed by several other senior leaders.
Pouring fuel into the fire, Palanivel removed Samy Vellu's son Vell Paari from the party's all-powerful central working committee, further enraging the former president.
He also appointed the son of former deputy president S Subramaniam, Sunthar, into the CWC, which observers claim was done to win over Subramaniam's supporters.
Subramaniam, who is now bed-ridden following an illness, was an arch-nemesis of Samy Vellu, who the latter ousted from the number two post by endorsing Palanivel.
Palanivel, an ex-journalist, was the former press secretary of Samy Vellu and the latter's anointed successor, who tip-toed to the top in the shadow of his boss.
Similarly, current number two Dr Subramaniam, a skin specialist who hails from Malacca, is also a product of the former president.
It was once a thriving kingdom, replete with power and riches. It served as the route for Indian Malaysians, with brains or brawn, to become political titans and amass fortunes.
But this changed in 2008. The kingdom's knights and court officials suffered near obliteration while the king himself was dethroned after ruling for three decades.
Then a new king was installed amid much pomp and pageantry, with his loyal subjects hailing his ascension as a new dawn, where transparency and good governance would prevail.
But he too was unable to restore the kingdom's former glory.
On the contrary, the party fared even worse in the last general election under his stewardship, with the king himself scraping his elbows and knees in an uphill attempt to conquer Cameron Highlands, once considered a safe haven for MIC.The party only won four of the nine parliament seats and five out of the 18 state seats it contested.
And whatever upward trend witnessed in the community's voting pattern for the ruling coalition was attributed to Prime Minister Najib Razak as opposed to MIC and its leaders.
The prime minister himself, on many occasions, had sidestepped MIC, opting to engage non-governmental organisations in tackling the issues affecting the community.
The community, which once held the party leaders in high esteem, now seem to hold them in utter contempt and consider them subjects of ridicule.
The poor still depend on them but to the more educated and middle-class Indians, MIC's continued presence or demise is irrelevant. This class of voters prefer a non-race based political platform taking shape in this nation.
Much at stake
However, MIC is still relevant to its leaders and members for there are government positions, perks, contracts, egos and much more at stake.
So the daggers have been unsheathed for the coming party polls, which could witness a heated presidential contest between the incumbent G Palanivel and his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam (left).Speculation is rife that Dr Subramaniam has the blessings of the still influential former president S Samy Vellu and is being backed by several other senior leaders.
Pouring fuel into the fire, Palanivel removed Samy Vellu's son Vell Paari from the party's all-powerful central working committee, further enraging the former president.
He also appointed the son of former deputy president S Subramaniam, Sunthar, into the CWC, which observers claim was done to win over Subramaniam's supporters.
Subramaniam, who is now bed-ridden following an illness, was an arch-nemesis of Samy Vellu, who the latter ousted from the number two post by endorsing Palanivel.
Palanivel, an ex-journalist, was the former press secretary of Samy Vellu and the latter's anointed successor, who tip-toed to the top in the shadow of his boss.
Similarly, current number two Dr Subramaniam, a skin specialist who hails from Malacca, is also a product of the former president.
Lack of vocal presence
Since becoming the acting president and deputy president, both leaders have failed to shine or stamp their mark on the political scene, preferring to skirt around controversial subjects.
Palanivel's (far right) critics have described him as incompetent and often complain about his lack of vocal presence.
But his supporters claim that the strict vegetarian and religious leader prefers to keep a low-profile and dislikes basking in the media glare.
Irrespective of who helms MIC, the party's existence in the Malaysian political landscape has become somewhat of a persona non grata. Nothing short of a miracle would be able to reverse its political fortunes.
As and unless MIC could find a president capable of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the writing is on the wall for one of the oldest political parties in Malaysia.
Palanivel's (far right) critics have described him as incompetent and often complain about his lack of vocal presence.But his supporters claim that the strict vegetarian and religious leader prefers to keep a low-profile and dislikes basking in the media glare.
Irrespective of who helms MIC, the party's existence in the Malaysian political landscape has become somewhat of a persona non grata. Nothing short of a miracle would be able to reverse its political fortunes.
As and unless MIC could find a president capable of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, the writing is on the wall for one of the oldest political parties in Malaysia.
RK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.
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