Once upon a time in Bolehland, lived a man with the iron grip - a man who thought he was invincible, a man who thought that he would always be indispensable to his community in good or bad times, as he regarded himself as the epitome of the best leader in his community (*choke*) solely because no one else has served as long as he has.
Tragically, not only is he delusional, he is also ill-informed with regard to how party support is aligned in his direction. At this juncture, he seems blind to the fact that his party has failed to function as a cohesive unit as many prefer to go solo or to sing out of tune or to sing in-tune only when instructed to do so.
Isn't it sad that this so-called leader is displaying metal fatigue and worse still, is unable to see the progressive and structural damage that has occurred, probably due to the mental fatigue that age has endowed upon him? What we see in the various MSM reports and online news portals is evidence that he has outlived his shelf life and exceeded the threshold of tolerance of his party members, not forgetting the community to which he belongs.
To use the analogy of a family, if the leader is dysfunctional, the family is unable to function as a unit. Thus, when the leader of a party falters and fails, waffles around with conflicting statements, e.g. supporting someone and then lambasting him the next day, the signs are crystal clear that HE MUST GO.
Realistically, we must realize that to survive and to be able to lead a party effectively, one must be visionary and not severely myopic in perspective. A visionary leader can take his followers to greater heights of achievements and leave behind a shining legacy. Visionary leaders groom potential leaders to take over their place but in this case, he clings on to his seat with an iron grip that is slowly being prised from his clasp by people who can no longer tolerate his contumely behavior.
Take a look at his statements extracted from Malaysiakini which are nothing but failed allusions to Tun Dr. Mahathir.
"I will take the two months off from my duties as MIC president to let (G) Palanivel, my deputy, fill in for me during my absence," said Samy.
"I won't be trying him out during the two months like what Mahathir did with Anwar Ibrahim."
Samy Vellu (left) was following up on a statement by Palanivel that "the ball is now in Samy Vellu's court".
Earlier, underlining that a transition was more imminent than ever, Samy Vellu had told the media figuratively: "I will ask Palanivel whether he is ready to take over as MIC president. If he says he's ready, I will go the next day, perhaps even the same day itself".
Palanivel responded with his much talked about "ball" idiom but added, "I am sure the president knows what to do. It's not as if someone has to tell him. I am ready to take over anytime he says so. Meanwhile, I will continue working as usual".
'Won't destroy successors like others'
Samy Vellu reiterated that he has no plans to come back after the proposed two months and find fault with Palanivel, again referring to the Mahathir script with Anwar.
For better or worse, Palanivel will step into the president's post, assured Samy, "and I have no intention of destroying my deputy like what Mahathir did to all his potential successors and even his successor, all hand-picked by him, not the party members".
"Even if Palanivel (right) is found wanting, I will hold my peace. Whether he fares well or does badly is up to him," said Samy Vellu in defining the importance of loyalty and standing by his men through thick and thin.
"I cannot support him for the deputy presidency and then later turn around and claim that he's not really suitable to be the MIC president. I don't play such evil games. We are people with human feelings."
His veiled reference to his former boss, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was unmistakably clear although no names were mentioned.
Let's face the truth. A leader of exceptional calibre would inspire his followers to develop themselves, inspire others to walk in their footsteps, nurture and to draw the best from each member/level of the party. A wonderful leader who has the RIGHT to stay on would have spelled out clearly values, principles, objectives and the direction that the party should take in order to achieve its mission/objective most effectively. But has he done that?
Persons with genuine leadership qualities are gentlemanly in the way they lead the team and to delegate responsibilities. They DO NOT act like warlords who have outlived their shelf lives. They DO NOT THINK of themselves but that of the collective unit. They DO NOT pursue his own ambitions or that of his cronies or family members at the expense of his others in his party.
A thorough bred leader must be relevant to the party, to his community, to other citizens in the nation and to his country as a whole and not to be FICKLE in saying one thing or defending one person one day and doing just the opposite the next day. Inconsistencies or delays in tackling current issues/problems do nothing to build up confidence in the party or in the leader. If he does not have the guts to be relevant and make the right decisions for the good of the nation, are we surprised to read about how our current PM is going to officially launch the newly-registered Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party (MMSP) on October 10th?
Despite the fact the fact that his party members and even BN leaders are unhappy with him, the man with the iron grip is trying his best to tighten his loosening grip!!! The writing is on the wall - his time is up and HE HAS TO GO even if he does not want to pass on the baton!!!
The question that remains is whether he has noble ambitions, visions, goals and ethics that can be emulated. Can he leave with his head held high with dignity? Can people remember him positively? Selfish ambition must not be used as a tool for enemies to fragmentate BN and its component parties.
What else can I say?
The man with the iron grip MUST GO!!! Iron corrodes. The damage is colossal and applying anti-rust is too late now!!
Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
Their homely joys, and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
The short and simple annals of the Poor.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike th' inevitable hour
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
- extracted from Thomas Gray's "ELEGY WRITTEN IN A CHURCH COURT-YARD.
Please leave a comment. I would love to hear your views. Thank you.
Have a lovely evening.
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