January 18, 2010 16:21 PM
Rot Begins In Makkal Sakti, Well Before Bloom
By S. Retnanathan
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The leadership tussle in the Makkal Sakti party is expected to prolong, with nary a light at the end of the tunnel, as dark clouds gather with a looming threat of dragging the three-month-old party into legal tangles.
It appears that Makkal Sakti, (meaning People's Power in Tamil) might not even have the relevant people to power the party!
It is in danger of becoming irrelevant -- even before it begins a mass membership drive.
Political pundits also predict that if woes faced by warring factions within the party are not solved fast, the party will die a natural death in the coming months.
Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria said the tussle in Makkal Sakti, which started with a "bang" and once captured the imagination of the Malaysian Indian community, has discredited the party.
"In light of the emergence of so many parties in the Indian community, Makkal Sakti too, has fallen victim to a similar situation faced by the others. They put personality conflicts and internal bickering as priority, instead of the plight of the community," he said.
Denison, a socio-economic analyst and a commissioner of Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), predicts that in light of the latest development in Makkal Sakti, it would be an uphill battle for the party to recover in the short term, unless its leaders "sit down or get an intermediary" to solve the tussle.
"Like many other Indian-based parties, personality conflicts and internal problems dominate over community interest. They are shooting at themselves and hope the community would still support them. So far, I do not see them as leaders of the community.
"When they launched the party, they managed to capture the imagination of the Malaysian Indian community. But sad to to say, this has fizzled out," he added.
Yesterday, the Makkal Sakti party's central committee voted to kick out its embattled president, R. S. Thenenthiran, for failing to respond to several allegations levelled against him.
The decision to expel the 46-year-old "president" was made by 14 out of the 27 central committee members at a meeting in Shah Alam, on Sunday, by a faction led by party deputy president A. Vathemurthy and secretary-general Kannan Ramasamy.
Kannan had said that the party would inform the Registrar of Societies (ROS) of the outcome of the meeting in the next few days, and that a new president would be announced next month.
He had also revealed that the party was trying to "lure" Klang-based businessman Oms Thiyagarajan and the Hindu Rights Action Force leader V. Ganabathirao to take up the vacant post.
Apart from informing the ROS, Vathemurthy's faction also wants to inform Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on the latest development. Makkal Sakti, a Barisan Nasional-friendly party was launched by Najib with much pomp and splendour on Oct 10, last year.
However, Thenenthiran, who is currently overseas, is not about to take this sitting down.
The first salvo from his side was issued by his brother, R. S. Ramesh, who is also Makkal Sakti vice president, when he said that Thenenthiran's group would not recognise his expulsion from the party and insisted he was still the president.
However, Ramesh said Thenenthiran's group would only accept the sacking if the ROS accepted it.
While this is easier said than done, an Indian political observer feels that even if the ROS decides on the matter, either faction would eventually challenge the decision in court.
"ROS is not a solution to this problem. The solution must come from within the party. Both factions need to sit down and reach an amicable solution if they want the party to be taken seriously.
"They have not even gone on a mass membership drive. How are they going to do that with a leadership problem like this?," he asked Bernama, requesting anonymity.
Makkal Sakti is a splinter of the once-banned Hindu Rights Action Force and at the initial stage, it looked set to be a formidable force to challenge the MIC as the voice of the nation's 1.8 million Indians.
However, its current leadership tussle has left nagging questions on the party's future.
"Either, they think of the party first or risk becoming irrelevant," said a Barisan Nasional component leader who declined to be named for fear of being accused of meddling in the affairs of another party.
Unless Makkal Sakti leaders join forces and put their differences aside, power to ride the political landscape and be a force to contend with, seems to be a far cry.
-- BERNAMA
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