Democratising the MIC

KUALA LUMPUR (May 22, 2011): The present president of the MIC wants to do something that could lead the party into unfamiliar territory – where powers once entrenched in the leadership are reduced and handed over to the grassroots.Datuk G. Palanivel (pix) has come as far as establishing a working group to review the party constitution to pave the way for a democratisation of the party.Palanivel, who took over the leadership of Malaysia's largest Indian-based party from Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu last December, said he is taking this bold step to return the powers of the party to its 600,000-odd members.

He said this process of democratisation and reviewing the constitution is part of his six-year plan to strengthen the party in stages and empower its members. The final product, he said, is the transformation of the MIC into “the voice of the people”.His approach at giving each member a voice is bound to ruffle some feathers or even create confusion within the party, which, for over 30 years, has been ruled with an iron fist by Samy Vellu.However, Palanivel feels that for the party to survive, it needs to ensure that the members have a say and a stake in the organisation."My idea is to pass over the leadership to the grassroots.

"I may want to look at the election of people at all levels. I may want the state chairman to be elected.
“There are a lot of requests to me for the state chairman to be elected,” Palanivel told theSun in a recent interview.He said he wants to make the constitution more inclusive, believing that the party “has to look at what needs improvement and what needs to be left out.”This includes the opening or closing down of branches, which was once at the whims of the leadership.“If the people want a branch, then we’ll open a branch for them, if the numbers are right,” said Palanivel who has re-admitted several senior members and leaders who were expelled under his predecessor.

Palanivel admitted that his radical idea will reduce of the power of the party’s president and its central working committee (CWC) although he believes this move is needed for the party to remain relevant with the changing times. “Ultimately, it’s the people who decide who should be the leader of the party. If they think I provide a good leadership, that I’m an acceptable leader, that I’m not an angry leader, that I’m not an arrogant leader, that I’m a humble leader, that I’m a person willing to listen to them.

“And if they’re willing to support me I accept their support. If they for some reason don’t want to support me, then it’s okay,” said Palanivel.Asked how the party’s more conservative leaders and old guards might respond to the democratisation process, he replied: “Many people will like it; some people may not like it.
“But that’s democracy, because I’m not forcing any fellow to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”


 
Source : http://sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=60978